Sherlock Holmes: Movie Review

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most recognized fiction characters we have out there and so, it would actually be a big surprise if you haven’t heard of him yet. Centuries after his character was first published by Arthur Conan Doyle, people still remember his wit and skill as a detective. Fast forward to present, "Sherlock Holmes" tries to make a refreshing retake of the legendary persona. Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and director Guy Ritchie are up with a very big and daunting task. We have no doubts about their talent but can they deliver with this movie? Read on to find out our verdict.

The year is 1891 and Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his partner Dr. Watson (Jude Law) has just stopped Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) in completing his human sacrifice of a sixth girl - he succeeded in killing five girls previously. Lord Blackwood is found guilty by the court on charges of using the black arts and is sentenced to be hanged. On the day of his execution, Blackwood requests for Holmes and he warns him about other deaths that will eventually change the world. Blackwood is executed and pronounced by Watson himself as dead. Days later, Blackwood was seen walking away from his grave. Upon investigation, the burial chamber has been cracked open and the corpse inside the coffin is not Blackwood. Did Blackwood really defy death by to finish his plan? Can Holmes and Watson determine what Blackwood meant about changing their world?

So what can we say about "Sherlock Holmes"? One word sums it all up - astonishing. We just did our Top Ten Movies of 2009 list and what a way to start things off by having a movie that could be a contender on this year's edition of the top ten. Yes, you heard us right, this early on in the game, we believe "Sherlock Holmes" deserves a spot in the top ten. So what's so juicy about this film? Well first and foremost the cinematography was outstanding. It was so unique that only a Guy Ritchie could have thought of presenting it that way. We really liked the slow-mo scenes in which Holmes elaborates his game plan. Second, the acting was first class all the way. Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Mark Strong formed the trifecta in this area and all gave great performances that we just couldn't see who was the best of the bunch. Much could be said for Rachel McAdams though. Third, although hard to understand on some instances, the script and lines were a perfect mix of wit, seriousness and humor. We found ourselves laughing with Holmes' or Watson's quips against each other. Finally, the story is well-worth the ticket price. The story will thrill you from start to finish and the way the film was interwoven at the end was just perfect. "Sherlock Holmes" is definitely a film everyone should watch especially those who want an intellectual film that has balls.

Rating: 5 reels





Why you should watch it:
- brilliant cinematography that still stuns as in awe
- a storyline that is thrilling from start to finish
- acting was great and the right mix of wit was just perfect

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- some may find some story elements cliche`
- we had some hard time following the dialogue


Catch "Sherlock Holmes" starting January 8, 2010 on all cinemas around the metro. This film is brought to us by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Do not forget that you can subscribe for FREE to our RSS Feed via Email
You can also follow us at our Twitter Account by clicking here
You can also add our site toolbar for FREE by clicking here




6 Comments

Comments

  1. I thought it was a great film. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law had a great partnership that you could believe in and they balanced each other off very well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Microsd!

    We actually want the sequel to come out already!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, the story about Holmes gives dynamics to action, no to thought this time. The movie contains as many FX as never before. The famous detective himself is a mix of House, M.D. and CSI agent. Too much fighting and too little sophisticated conversations between Holmes and Watson.

    However, in my opinion, this movie is a transformation of XIX century detective fiction into the XXI century. The XX century had changed the very style of narration of adventures. Things which had been thrilling the reader in XIX century cannot affect the XXI century viewer in the same level. In order to reach the same highness of tension the radically different stylistic means.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I enjoyed the movie, the plot and story line were well done. lots of flashbacks that were well tied together. The only problem I had was with the english accent and dialect and the Holmes actor propensity to mumble made it hard to understand what he was saying and thus hard to follow. A couple times I backed up the movie and could not make out his words. It appears that there is plenty of room for sequel shows but I hope they will make the Holmes character a little more understandable or the problem tends to cause one to lose interest as the show progresses for lack of understanding.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I couldn't hardly understand anything Holmes was saying either. Accent was horrible. I thought it was just me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I agree with you man..accent is a lil bit poor and also his voice projection made it difficult to catch what Robert was trying to say..But other than that, I think it was still a great movie..

    ReplyDelete