I had the choice tonight between Avatar, Up in the Air and Sherlock Holmes at the movie theatre today. With the help of twitter, I decided the pipe smoking detective was the best bet. It was well worth it.
People were downplaying Robert Downey as Sherlock Holmes. Quite possibly one of the most (if not the most) iconic character from Literature (Dracula is another) Holmes has been played, written and potrayed in so many different forms it’s with trepidation that I approached this film. There have been many reboots, re-imaginings and reworked films over the years. The impending “The A-Team” release has me worried as it looks like “GI-Joe” all over again. The danger Hollywood always finds itself in is using CGI and various effects in place of a strong story and great characters. Star Wars suffered from this and to a point some later Star Trek did as well.
Sherlock Holmes is a great introduction to a new iteration of the character and his gallery of rouges. Lord Blackstone is the chief villain and it is deliciously played by Mark Strong. I will say I was hoping for more darkness from him as the brooding villain but he fills the role. There is a shadow that seems to follow behind Blackstone and brings a welcome hope for a sequel. Jude Law plays the long suffering Dr. John Watson with great gusto. I’ve had a envy of Law for quite some time as his acting is always on target. The interplay between the two seems genuine and I found myself sad when the two were briefly separated at times in the film.
The two ladies (Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly) are lovely and I found myself literally falling in love with Kelly as she made her brief appearances. Rachel was acceptable but I didn’t feel anything particularly memorable about her performance. The supporting cast is pretty solid.
The movie is set in old London and this is where my greatest accolades come into play. The city is designed beautifully and the sets and camera work doesn’t do too much to take you out of the film. There’s a moment where the camera flips upside down to complete a cool tracking shot. I geeked out at that moment since I love cinematography.
In the final act we get teased for a sequel and I can only hope that we do. Someone on twitter mentioned this could be the next Pirates of the Caribbean. My response was that as long as they don’t sink it like the third Pirates movie, we’ll be good.
To the results of today!
1 – Lose it or Die
I walked to places but did not work out. FAIL!
2 – Get out!
I went to church and saw a movie. WIN, barely.
3 – Write it like you want it
Still nothing. FAIL!
4 – Rock out to more
I have been introduced to DJ Earthworm and his great remixes of songs over the last year. WIN
5 – Get Smart-er
Started reading a couple of my books. May have to switch around until I find the good one. WIN
Total Win/Loss for today – 3/5
60 % = completion rate.
Grade = D! Arrg.
