After years of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s memorable work appearing in books and small film productions, the world of major motion pictures decided to adopt Conan Doyle’s renown title, Sherlock Holmes, creating a new take on the iconic stories. The Warner Brothers movie, directed by Guy Richie was released Dec. 25.
Instead of reflecting the intellectual atmosphere of Conan Doyle’s books, Richie and the production team took a spin on this idea with young actors, Robert Downy Jr. as the expert sleuth, Holmes and Jude Law as his logical assistant, Dr. Watson. The two fearlessly burst their way through 1890s London, using adept boxing and fighing tactics when necessary.
In movie writer Lionel Wigram’s storyline, Holmes and Watson undertake the threatening case of exterminating Lord Blackwood’s (Mark Strong) dark magic practices; the forces which terrify all of London. After successfully capturing Blackwood and watching his hanging by the leaders of the city, the duo is taken aback to discover that the demonic man has apparently risen from the grave.
The two spend the movie searching through the clues, putting together concepts and confronting opposing men. While Holmes and Watson race to uncover the source of the commotion, Blackwood is in action, killing individuals and plotting to take over England.
Holmes and Watson are soon accompanied by the beautiful, cunning Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), a woman under the control of an unknown boss trying to divert Holmes. While she assists the team, her shady intentions are a constant concern.
While some dissapprove of Richie’s high action version of the classic, wordy stories, I found the creation highly entertaining. These alterations were for the better, as modern audiences are more attracted to suspenseful action. The potential for an excellent intellectual film was obvious, but this retelling was enjoyable to watch. As opposed to a thought provoking, deep film, Sherlock Holmes was a movie I could easily watch over and over.
Its thought-provoking aspects appeared in the form of mystery-solving where spectators could add up the clues for themselves, making predictions of their own. This was an amusing component of the movie for everyone to enjoy.
The time period and atmosphere was brought to life with a fitting musical score, costumes perfectly according to each character’s disposition and a brilliantly grungy recreation of industrial London. Many scenes took place in notable locations such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, Parliament and the Tower Bridge, bringing a hint of familiarity to the big screen.
Altogether, this retelling of Conan Doyle’s legendary characters contained all of the necessary aspects for a successful film. The whole time watching the movie, I never knew what would happen next, which kept me enticed throughout the whole 134 minutes. When the movie concluded with obvious hints of a sequel, I immediately began to anticipate Sherlock Holmes‘s next installment.
Sherlock Holmes is playing in theaters across the nation. It is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action. Check local listings for date and times or visit Fandango.com.
