Indiana Holmes

[puppetmaker]

My review for the new Sherlock Holmes movie

But first, a little bit of rambling about yesterday.

Everyone got great gifts. Caroline made out like a bandit but she is the youngest. She has been playing with her toys and reading her books. She has spent quality time with her aunts and uncle and grandparents. I have had a good visit too. Peter got me a great present. I am the very proud owner of the Steiff Kermit. ( does the Kermit arm wave Yeeaaaaaaa!)

I went to the annual Dave party and caught up with some people that I hadn’t seen in 10 years or so including my evil twin (who is also my brothers and sister’s evil twin) Skippy. Peter came along and played Beatles Rock Band very well. It was nice to go to an adult party and talk to other adults.

There was lots of good food and fun conversation which makes the holiday even more special.

Part of our tradition is to go see a movie on Christmas which was part of Peter’s tradition of on Christmas Day he would have lunch at a Kosher Deli, see a movie and have Chinese food. The movie companies made this easier for us by not putting Dr. Parnasus into wide distribution so we went for Holmes.



Wow! I haven’t been that happy about a film in a long time. It fired for me on all cylinders. I loved the music. I loved the cast. I even loved the script.

I am an old Holmesian. I have read the canon more than once. I have seen the Jeremy Brett series. In fact Peter got me the complete DVD set for my birthday this year. I have even been given the chance to write a Holmes story for an anthology. I missed the deadline and honestly regret having done so. I know my Holmes.

This movie satisfied my inner Sherlock geek. They only really played loose with a couple of aspects of the canon but even then they didn’t pull something totally out of left field. I have been defending this film to some other Holmes fans and most of their major problems with the film are things that Conan Doyle put right into the stories. Apparently nobody but Peter and me have reread A Study in Scarlet recently. It is all there right down to the dog.

Robert Downey Jr. did a great job as Holmes. Brett is still my favorite but this performance is right up there. Jude Law did an excellent job as Watson right down to the limp. There were villains and thugs through out the piece that rang true to what Sir Arthur wrote. No baker street irregulars but this piece didn’t need them at all. And Holmes explanation as to what was going on was pitch perfect. I’ll even forgive the love interest and expansion on a character because honestly it is the character that always seems to be expanded upon.

Yes, they did set up a sequel but I am not unhappy about that. In fact I will be there on opening day with my deerstalker on.



I am grateful that I saw Sherlock Holmes on opening day.

Comments

[gryphonrose.livejournal.com]

Wow. I am VERY surprised. It's been a few years since I've read the actual stories, admittedly, but the trailers convinced me that this was going to be a crappy-but-fun Victorian steampunk action movie with eerily similar names to Conan Doyle's characters and no other connection whatsoever. I appreciate your letting me know, and I will try to keep an open mind when I do eventually see it.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Peter and I both had some serious trepidations about it until we saw a clip on one of the talk shows that Downey was doing the rounds of and we knew that we had to see it because of the way the clip was constructed. You watch and hear Holmes go over how he is going to take a villain out and the visual is in slow motion then you see him do what he has constructed in his head move for move but it looks like lighting. Which is a very Holmesian way of doing it.

[wonderbink.livejournal.com]

You already know how much I adored that film, so I'll just second everything you said, and mention that Robert Downey Jr. is awfully damn hot without a shirt on. Particularly in one set of circumstances that I won't detail here because that would be something of a spoiler. ;)

(Oh, one thing though, the word is spelled canon unless you are indeed describing a large gun used in military operations.)

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Corrected spelling but you know how double letters and I don't get along

[trinalin.livejournal.com]

The folks and I saw this last night and we all enjoyed it. I went to the movie to oggle over Jude Law, but wound up also oggling Robert Downey Jr's Holmes. (He looks a lot like Ian McShane as Lovejoy - albeit a bit skinnier.)

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Both are rather oggle-worthy.

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

We were going to go see the Holmes movie today. Alas, I guess we will have to wait. glad to hear it's worth seeing!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

It is worth the price of admission to see on the large screen

[ghilledhu.livejournal.com]

I'm very glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the trailers made it look like something other than what it actually is. I'm looking forward to seeing it - had been regardless, but your positive review makes it that much more to look forward to.

It's been a while since I've read A Study in Scarlett, so I'd forgotten about the comments on Holmes's physical skills. I find it interesting that something that's actually canon gets forgotten by so many fans, and I wonder why. Have there just been so many adaptations that disregard the physical stuff? Or is it possible that the stories themselves (after Scarlett) have such an overwhelming focus on Holmes's mental skills that the physical ones get lost in the shuffle?

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Not really. His physical feats are through out. Consider the fight between him and Moriarty at the Falls. He straightens a poker after another gentleman bends it to make a point.

I think it is more how Holmes was portrayed in the movies which was less physical. Also Watson was made to be a bumbler were in the books he was Holmes's equal.

[ghilledhu.livejournal.com]

That's a good point. Maybe it's just the mental stuff that sticks in my mind somehow.

[baxaphobia.livejournal.com]

I saw Sherlock Holmes today and really liked it. I like Robert Downey Jr. a lot so it was a must see. And I thought it was fun and well done!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

It was indeed. I haven't seen the numbers on it but the reaction has been pretty positive.

[photognome.livejournal.com]

I too am a books/Brett fanatic so I thank you for this review. I'll be seeing it tonight. :-)

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

I loved Holmes. I saw it on Boxing Day too but only just got round to posting my review. I thought it so much better than "The Lovely Bones" and it was wonderful seeing a film which lived up to my expectations. Everything was spot on. I only had one criticism but that's on my LJ and won't bother most people.