‘Sherlock Holmes’ Stays Lighthearted
For a film that focuses on black magic and the criminal element in Victorian London, Sherlock Holmes remains remarkably lighthearted. It’s not without conflict or darker moments, but director Guy Ritchie remarkably manages to keep things upbeat.
Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes is not the character of common adaptation from the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; he’s a more of a maverick. In classical representations of Holmes, he’s a refined gentleman with a profound intellect and sense of logic, known best for his pipe and deerstalker hat.
Ritchie’s Holmes comes off more like a savant, he’s brilliant but at the same time cocky and socially inept. Holmes, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., doesn’t like to play by the rules. He’s constantly calculating plans in his own head without letting others in on the details.
While his British accent isn’t perfect, Downey Jr. brings excellent personality to the role of Holmes. He has the dry, sarcastic sense of humor down pat, and he gives Holmes a much more everyman quality.
Holmes lives with his friend and partner Dr. Watson (Jude Law). As a roommate, Holmes is loud and inconsiderate, frequently tormenting Watson by performing bizarre experiments to test his theories.
Instead of being strictly business partners like in classic lore, Ritchie’s Holmes and Watson share what we in modern times call a bromance. Their closeness as friends shows an underlying platonic love for one another, which although quite silly, aids in keeping a cheerful tone throughout the movie.
At the outset of the story, Holmes and Watson have wrapped up their supposed final case together, capturing the murdering sorcerer of dark arts: Lord Blackwood. Blackwood, a diabolical fiend, was kidnapping women and sacrificing them as part of his bizarre rituals.
When the time comes for Blackwood’s public execution, Watson is the doctor selected to confirm the criminal’s demise. Blackwood is pronounced dead, and he is buried, so Holmes and Watson go back to their daily lives.
Now that his working relationship with Holmes has come to a close, Watson has become fed up with the bachelor life, and he’s ready to settle down with his current love interest. Holmes is none too pleased by Watson parting ways with him. Behaving much like spoiled child, he acts out to sabotage Watson’s impending engagement.
During this time, Holmes is commissioned by an old flame, the thief Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), to find a missing person. Even though Holmes suspects Adler is up to no good, he can’t help taking up the challenge. In the course of investigating the missing person case, Holmes and Watson discover that Blackwood has risen from the grave and begun terrorizing London once more.
Since this seemingly defies all logic, something Holmes places divine faith in, he jumps back on the case to investigate, with Watson reluctantly tagging along for the ride. The further they probe into the case, the more dangerous things become for our heroes as they close in on Blackwood.
One great thing about this film, that separates it from a lot of modern action films, is that it creates a real sense of danger around the characters. When they are placed in peril, as the audience you actually worry about their safety. This helps intensify those scenes, connecting you closer to the on screen events.
In classic Holmes fashion, he assembles all the pieces of Blackwood’s plot, and he’s able to thwart it. He takes the time to explain to Blackwood and the audience just exactly how he figured things out, laying out all of the cleverly placed clues in a logical conclusion.
Sherlock Holmes is great because it’s an easy, engaging view that puts a fresh spin on the character. Despite the minor differences in the adaptation, Holmes still has the same ability to see through the small details, and assemble the pieces of the puzzle. As a period piece, the film visually reconstructs Victorian London in a faithful way, creating a dirty, grungy city filled with factories and soot filled atmosphere.
Sherlock Holmes is not without its flaws however. In some parts its pacing drags, while at others its flies, which creates uneven rhythm. Rachel McAdams is a hard sell as a thief; her face is just too kind, and her personality doesn’t seem to match, detracting from the picture as a whole.
Another thing bothered me when I saw it, but it was really a personal thing. There are a couple of times when Holmes envisions what he is about to do, breaking it down in slow motion narration before he does it, which instead of coming off as interesting really takes the piss out of moments that could have been a lot more exciting.
As a fan of Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. I had very high expectations, which to be honest Sherlock Holmes didn’t completely fulfill. It really felt like something was missing that kept it from being amazing. That being said, it’s still a fun movie with a solid story, action, and a sense of humor.