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January 29, 2010
Simrundeep Kaur
My interest in Sherlock Holmes started when I had to do an English project in the eighth grade about an author. I picked Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s book The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes which contained several short stories about the famous detective. My sister introduced the story, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” the previous year and I liked it, which led me to select Doyle as the basis of my project. Over the years, my interest in the stories increased and although I admit I haven’t read all the stories, I recently purchased two volumes that contain the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes stories.
So when I heard that a movie titled Sherlock Holmes was released, I was excited and curious to see how it would turn out. I wanted to be able to see how the characters from the stories would be portrayed.
The film begins with a woman lying seemingly unconscious on a flat stone table. A cloaked man is performing some sort of ritual over her and there are a few other cloaked men standing in the wings.
An action scene starts when Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Dr. Watson (Jude Law) burst in on the scene. They are later joined by the police officials who end up arresting the cloaked man, later revealed to be Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Blackwood is sentenced to be hung three months after his arrest and is then proclaimed dead by Watson. On the fatal day of his hanging, Blackwood requests Holmes to come to his cell and warns Holmes of a great change that will affect the world’s way of believing and thinking.
After months of waiting for an interesting case, Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) tells Holmes that Blackwood’s grave was broken into, and his body is not there. A witness claims that he saw “Lord Blackwood rise from the grave.” Terrified and shocked, his testimony is taken and Holmes decides to take on the case to find Blackwood. He delves in to the occurrences of an old order which uses magic as the means to control a people, more powerful than any other way of mind control.
What seems to be a fascinating series of events that seem insane but are believable build in momentum as the story progresses. In the end, however, Holmes, remaining true to the fictional detective from Doyle’s stories, gives logical reasons for all occurrences.
As for the film itself, the characters are portrayed pretty much exactly as I had expected. Having a talented cast only added to the amazing overall effect of the movie. The characters have exceptional chemistry and complimented each other’s acting. Downey is exactly as eccentric and intelligent to borderline crazy as I imagined the character of Sherlock Holmes to be when I read the stories. He does an excellent job in capturing the internal Sherlock Holmes, casting away all doubts in my mind. Jude Law is fantastic as Watson and plays the character as a cool, collected, and smart man, just like in the stories. Rachel McAdams is solid as Holmes’ love interest, Irene Adler, and her character added a comedic romance to the entire story. The friendship between Watson and Holmes in the film is comical, entertaining, and Downey and Law make a great team.
For someone who isn’t familiar with the way the plots of the detective stories twist and turn, making you go off on a totally different tangent than the actual case, the movie’s plot can get somewhat confusing. When it all comes together in the end, you will be surprised and the confusing parts will make sense in the end. Some of the things happened so fast you won’t know what to think, for example one minute Holmes and Watson are being separated by explosive pipes and the next minute Watson is in the hospital being tended by Holmes disguised as a doctor.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes Sherlock Holmes, detective stories, or to have a good laugh. Whether you are a die-hard Holmes fan, not familiar with the stories at all, or know some of them, there’s something in it for everyone: action, adventure, suspense, magic vs. logic, and a comical romance. It is a truly entertaining and enjoyable film.
Verdict: A-
