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Article by Cameron Spink
Sherlock Holmes has arrived to the 21st century brought by the visions of iconic director Guy Ritchie. This brash movie portrays the exploits of the detective mastermind and his loyal companion, Watson as they seek to uncover a conspiracy that spans from cults to the British parliament.
The film is set in 1891 and the world is very reflective of that era. One could merely marvel at the backdrop to this movie in every shot. The aesthetic value of the British buildings and dark scenery fit superbly into the film. The music score, as composed by Hans Zimmer, also feels like it belongs in a pleasing sort of way. It does, however, leave much to be desired to Zimmer’s better works namely the Dark Knight and Gladiator. This may well be a good thing, as the music is unquestionably secondary and not meant to be as overpowering as his past works.
The cast is first class. It is worth going to see this movie just for the portrayal of Holmes by Robert Downey Jnr and Watson by Jude Law. Downey Jnr looks like he’s in his acting element as his character zaps giants, insults ladies and mopes like a child in a dark room. Rachel McAdams adds depth to the cast and has proven that she has outgrown her Mean Girls days. Mark Strong as the antagonist is brilliant and one is left wondering why his screen time is so limited.
The character of Holmes as portrayed in this movie is an intriguing one. At times he seems to be a gung-ho warrior, at other times he appears an intellectual genius and yet at others his antics and spaced out mannerisms make Jack Sparrow seem almost normal. Through-out the movie he not only uses logic to ascertain the facts but also, fairly regularly, blunders into a situation without realising the danger he is in. Thankfully it is Watson with the clear head who seems to push the flawed genius in the right directions.
The storyline does suffer from Sherlock’s clumsiness. And while evil schemes turning on supernatural hoaxes do satisfy the fundamental Sherlock Holmes literatures this creates a darkness that is neither an easy nor a particularly fun ride for the viewer. The movie, one must also remember, is created by Guy Ritchie to be an action/adventure and so Sherlock’s fine powers of deduction are often left by the wayside and substituted for brawling and survival tactics. This is not the only failing of this film. Rachel McAdams as Holmes love interest seems more of a by-the-by character rather than a necessity, cluttering the storyline rather than enhancing it. And the climax feels overdue and unsatisfying. From the audiences perspective one can’t help feeling forced through the movie and the bantering of the two main characters, while at times comical, scarcely makes up for the distinctive lack of flow that makes this movie not as pleasurable as it could be.
Everything in this movie feels exaggerated. The movie runs for well over two hours when a lot less would be more enjoyable. The characters are never really developed, who they are at the start of the movie are essentially who they are at the end. Perhaps the most frustrating part of all is Guy Ritchie’s need to repeat a handful of scenes through-out the movie in a way that, despite showing Sherlock Holmes’ brilliance merely comes across as cinematically dull. Whilst I would certainly recommend this movie just to see the reformed actor Robert Downey Jnr at work it is at best a flawed masterpiece.
3/5 stars
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