Monday, December 28, 2009

Sherlock Holmes [review]



This film was superb on many levels.
Guy Ritchie's directing skills are triumphant in this film depiction of Sherlock Holmes. It follows the novels/short stories extremely well. Many who follow the films of past will probably not be too satisfied with it, but according to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories on Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, It has done a remarkable job of painting us a picture of who they truly were imagined. As for Irene Adler's story, the movie pretty much made a sequel to the only story she shows up in, but taking her personality and Holmes' ideals of her.

The acting in this film was sensational! Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for a Golden Globe for this role (perhaps an academy award nomination is to come). He made you understand who Sherlock Holmes was written out to be - a scrutinizing man so soaked up in his work and his companion while adoring the only woman who could ever outwit him. Jude Law's Watson is the best version ever put on screen. Finally they make a point that he was a medic in Afgahn wars and was a gambler. One thing that was not pointed out was that his fiancee/wife Mary was a woman who was seriously so gorgeous and hired them formerly to help her with a case in which Watson helped her big time (and love was formed). They did however keep her personality also true to the story. As for the nemesis in the books (Moriate, he does show up but we don't get to know who he is for sure until the end of the film which smells of sequels.)

One thing that I thought was wonderful is that probably to protect a bit of RDJ's past, we don't see Sherlock doing his cocaine, morphine, and opium as he did from time to time in the stories. It was not something to focus on and I am glad it didn't come up, while we get to understand that he is a fighter, violinist, pipe smoker, and other things that were brought up often in the stories. On the other hand in telling my husband this before we saw the movie, there is a scene where it seems like Mr. Holmes is hullucinating or dreaming which my husband said, "That must be one of his trips" while watching it in the theatre. If this is true, they did an excellent job of concealing it. Afterall, I for one hate movies with drug use.


There was no nudity or vulgar/profane tongue in this film from what my memory recalls. If you saw the original trailer in May or June (whenever it came out), I am sure it led to the idea that there would be such things involved. It was so nice that the focus of the film were the characters and the breaking down of a mystery. In the original trailer there were things like Irene Adler (played very well by Rachel McAdams) in a bodice/corset and kicking Mr. Holmes in his pelvic region as well as the main characters in a boat in which Watson and Holmes are at it in discussion and she says, ""uh, they've been flirting like this for hours".". . .all of that was cut. The most nudity there is here would be of a fat old man in a copper bathtub (we don't see anything), Rachel McAdams' upper back as she takes off a garment, and Robert Downey Jr. cuffed to a bed with a pillow covering him in a sensitive area. Considering how most of Guy Ritchie's films are, it was very clean in the language department.

As for violence in the film, there are a bunch of fighting scenes but nothing shocking and gross. The most gore we get to see is shrapnel sticking out of the shoulder of Watson. If there is anything this movie has, it is loads of action.

An excellent website I check because I don't like bad language, sexual sequences, drugs, and content that ruins films for me, is Kids in mind. They explain in full detail what is in the movie for sex& violence, language, and profanity.

and yes, this was the 55th RDJ film I've seen and it is certainly one of his greatest. I rate this film 4.25 out of 5 stars!!

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