Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes
Tonight we saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie. I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into as I am not a big Sherlock Holmes fan. I read The Hound of the Baskervilles in high school and just remember that it involved a moor. So, I can’t really comment on how true the movie is to the character. In terms of the movie itself, I thought it was a pretty good movie. The story was well crafted and followed a logical track in the way that Holmes was able to deduce the clues. The story seems to make sense in terms of what I would expect from Sherlock Holmes. The main antagonist is a practitioner of dark magic and is trying to bring the British Empire back to its full glory. Holmes works through a way to explain all of the magic tricks to explain how they actually happened. I was intrigued to see how most of the Holmes’s deductions were based on chemistry and all made sense and were probably true. I was happy to see Holmes use the flame test I learned about in chemistry.
The way the film was shot was also very interesting. I did not realize that Holmes was quite the fighter and I enjoyed the fight sequences they setup where they walked you through Holmes’s thought process before the fight takes place. The slow motion choppy animation during the fights was a little weird, but I guess it added to the intensity of the scene. The sound was very nice in the film. There were periods of quiet where they would highlight the noise of one of the objects coming at the screen. This gave a slight impression of 3D that I really liked.
I also liked that the movie was very true to the times without seeming dated. The costumes and scenes in the movie never seemed out of place and for the most part the technology was accurate as well. There was one device that electrocuted people that didn’t seem particularly realistic (even now). The rest of the science seemed pretty solid throughout.
What was really eye opening to me in the this film is how much House and Wilson (from the TV Show House) and Holmes and Watson are alike. I have to assume that the character of Greg House was based on Holmes to some extent. The way that Holmes uses little random clues to make deductions is just the same way the Holmes does. Particularly the scene where Holmes deduces everything about Watson’s fiance from small clues is exactly something House would do (and has done). Also, the way that Holmes keeps sucking Watson back into his life and sabotaging his relationship is akin to House and Wilson.
In all, I liked the movie and it kind of makes me want to go read some of the books. This movie fits in well right now in terms of what is popular on TV. It fits in with all of the CSIs and other crime dramas out there. The introduction of Moriarty clearly sets the ground for a sequel and I look forward to that.
Tags: House, Movie Review, Sherlock Holmes
I want to read the books now too! Let’s go to the library!