Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Film: Sherlock Holmes





GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for violence and some suggestive scenes

RUNTIME: 2 hours and 8 minutes

STARRING: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Chaplin),

Jude Law (The Holiday, Closer, I Heart Huckabees)

DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie (Snatch, RocknRolla)

WRITERS: Michael Robert Johnson (newcomer)

Anthony Peckham (Invictus, Don’t Say a Word)

PLOT: Holmes and Watson try to solve a puzzle involving the dark arts and a terrorist plot.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 The film works because of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Impeccable chemistry between these two actors. They are vibrant and fun to watch making this film fun to watch.

2 There has been a lot of criticism concerning Guy Ritchie’s direction. I like it. It’s gritty, fast paced and thoroughly entertaining. Nothing is airbrushed (well maybe Rachel McAdams). Ritchie’s fast motion style works well with Holmes’ analysis of situations as well as fight scenes.

3 I like how they didn’t make Holmes’ into an all-out brawler, he considers every angle and thinks thing through before attacking. Apparently, the books back up the fact that Holmes was able to box and fight.

4 The dark arts storyline didn’t work for me. I like that Holmes has to debunk what everyone else believes is magical, but you have to wait for such a long time for the reveal. Mark Strong’s Lord Blackwood, while having an imposing presence, didn’t seem all that threatening either.

5 I like how they set up the sequel. It was inevitable but well played. It kind of reminded me of the end of Batman Begin where they reveal the Joker card.

RECOMMENDATION: Watch it in the theatre

UPCOMING REVIEW: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

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