Warner Bros. Reimagining Sherlock Holmes

[The Lizard]

But wasn't Adler supposed to be American in the books?

Arg -- that's right. My mistake - should have Wikipedia'd before I opened my big mouth.

 

[chamber-music]

But wasn't Adler supposed to be American in the books?

Irene Adler is American and from New Jersey in the only Holmes story she appears A Scandal in Bohemia.

 

[Wolvieboy17]

Actually, being Scottish is being British; as are the Welsh and Northern Irish. They're all just not English; who are from England.

Imperialist scum! lol. Australians definitely aren't though.

 

[Wolvieboy17]

Actually, being Scottish is being British; as are the Welsh and Northern Irish. They're all just not English; who are from England.

Imperialist scum! lol. Australians definitely aren't though.

 

[DarkKnight88]

I might be seeing this movie soon, probably today or tomorrow. I just checked on Boxofficemojo and it looks like it's tanking.

140 M in two weeks is tanking? Avatar bombed too, I guess.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Indeed. It's doing what the studio expected.

 

[The Englishman]

Only one of those actors is actually british. 1 is scottish, 1 is Irish and 2 are australian.

All things considered though, I think Hugo Weaving would be great. He hasn't had a meaty role like that for quite a while.

Actually, being Scottish is being British; as are the Welsh and Northern Irish. They're all just not English; who are from England.

Imperialist scum! lol. Australians definitely aren't though.

Guy Pearce was born in England though,

 

[MadVillainy]

I really like McAdams and I hate to do the silly fanboy/girl cliche of saying that the woman was icky and the worse thing ever (I honestly think that attitude is overblown) but I thought that she was surprisingly weak. She looked amazing and had some charm but I never believed her as Holmes equal or better. She just wasn't right for the role IMHO. She didn't ruin the movie for me or anything but I was surprised at how much I just didn't care for her because she has been pretty strong in other flicks I've seen her in.

Oh yeah I hate the whole "love interest are stupid" thing too but as you said McAdams, who is usually good, was just weak in this role.

But this is the best she's looked in any movie Ive seen her in

I think a lot of it had to do with the writing. Her character didn't really do much. She never did anything to convince us that she was really that capable besides bashing on some random thugs.

This is true

 

[mr. peasant]

Imperialist scum! lol. Australians definitely aren't though.

And yet, they still recognize Queen Elizabeth as their queen. Plus, they still have the itty bitty Union Jack in their flag. Ergo, they're still one of us. They just don't know it. t:

At least the Scottish and Irish joined by choice. We Welsh got ourselves conquered!

 

[DACrowe]

She was loads more believable than Keira. Keira Knightley was basically a stuck up princess for the entire films! And she was a total ***** lol. I agree that Irene still wasn't necessarily on equal grounds with Holmes, but I still found her more agreeable than most female sidekicks.

Gonna' have to disagree. Elizabeth Swann is one of the few examples of a female lead in a summer blockbuster who actually doesn't feel forced but adds something to the movie. While not as brilliant or quirky as Depp's Sparrow, she at all times felt his equal and could go toe to toe with Depp adn come off looking strong and intellectually dangerous. Her t ricking Jack in the first and second movies was completely believable. Albeit the third movie was so terrible, nobody could get out of that one looking good.

Rachel McAdams is a very good actress, playing a character who was very well written by Doyle. In the movie the screenwriters and director obviously have little interest in their likely studio-mandated love interest. Other than getting to beat two thugs with a stick, shooting a few at the end and tricking Holmes, she really had little to do to prove herself the equal of Holmes. And her performance seemed very uninterested.

I think it may be due to Ritchie not caring for women in his movie and somewhat ignoring McAdams, but I didn't believe for a second that she was his equal when she came in and made tea nor when she poisoned him. That scene just seemed forced. I dunno. People wanted to see Elizabeth back when talks of POTCC sequels were made. I don't think many want to see Irene back. Which is too bad as in the book she is a great character and McAdams I am sure can play her. But for whatever reason it just did not work that much in this movie.

 

[Infinity9999x]

Gonna' have to disagree. Elizabeth Swann is one of the few examples of a female lead in a summer blockbuster who actually doesn't feel forced but adds something to the movie. While not as brilliant or quirky as Depp's Sparrow, she at all times felt his equal and could go toe to toe with Depp adn come off looking strong and intellectually dangerous. Her t ricking Jack in the first and second movies was completely believable. Albeit the third movie was so terrible, nobody could get out of that one looking good.

Rachel McAdams is a very good actress, playing a character who was very well written by Doyle. In the movie the screenwriters and director obviously have little interest in their likely studio-mandated love interest. Other than getting to beat two thugs with a stick, shooting a few at the end and tricking Holmes, she really had little to do to prove herself the equal of Holmes. And her performance seemed very uninterested.

I think the Swann character was a little more well-written. But I wouldn't cite examples from the second or third movies as evidence. God those were stinkers. Not horrible, but they didn't hold a candle to the first movie.

The only time I really got the sense Adler could contend with Holmes was when she drugged him. Other then that, we got nothing really. She tricked him once, hit some thugs, and then was turned into the basic damsel in distress.

 

[Kelly]

And yet, they still recognize Queen Elizabeth as their queen. Plus, they still have the itty bitty Union Jack in their flag. Ergo, they're still one of us. They just don't know it. t:

At least the Scottish and Irish joined by choice. We Welsh got ourselves conquered!

The government recognizes her, but the majority of the population of Australia is ready to say adios...

 

[Evil Twin]

Saw it today and overall enjoyed it. Although there's a lot that doesn't quite gel. Rachel McAdams, as others have said. Kind of an underwhelming mystery which mainly consisted of running from action scene to action scene until Holmes "deduced" the mystery. A villain that I don't think ever came across as a real adversary for Holmes.

They also pretty blatantly stole from Alan Moore's FROM HELL, the graphic novel not the movie version, with 5 victims, an obvious parallel to the freemasons, and points of the crimes making a pattern over London.

But, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have great chemistry and they were able to come up with an interpretation of Holmes that can appeal to modern audiences and yet doesn't stray particularly from the canon. In particular, playing up Watson as an army veteran and man of action really works to sell the character as more than a guy to make Holmes look smart. A really nice looking Victorian London as well.

Looks like it's going to do well enough for a sequel. I just hope that they pay as much attention to the plot and mystery next time as they did to the characterization of Holmes and Watson.

 

[xwolverine2]

saw it twice...loved it (better than avatar)

i agree the plot was pretty ehk..
the guys plan was to take over london and america...with fear of magic.

lol i think christians tried that once or twice..

 

[Lighthouse]

They also pretty blatantly stole from Alan Moore's FROM HELL, the graphic novel not the movie version, with 5 victims, an obvious parallel to the freemasons, and points of the crimes making a pattern over London.

If you think that, you really should see the movie Murder By Decree, which has Sherlock Holmes fighting Jack the Ripper, and you'll be kind of amazed how similar it is to From Hell. In my opinion, before RDJ's Sherlock, I felt it was the best Sherlock Holmes film of all time. Yes, even better than the Basil Rathbone ones.

 

[Evil Twin]

As for the mystery itself, it's been awhile since I read the books, but I think that's how they usually went. Holmes solved the mystery because he knew about some weird plant that no one else knows about, or some chemical reaction that only a scientist would figure out. What bothered me more though was that the villain's plan was basically

You need to reread the Holmes stories if you think that's the case. It's true for a couple, but for the most part Conan Doyle is telling classic, fair play mysteries with the clues in plain sight. Very, very rarely is the solution something that requires out of left field knowledge. Phosphorescent paint in The Hound of the Baskervilles is generally about the limit that Conan Doyle set.

And, frankly, Lord Blackwell was really using comic book chemistry and tricks. With the chemical tricks being of the odorless, tasteless, don't leave a trace variety.

Then again, this really isn't truly a mystery. It's a chase the villain around London and figure out what his plan is by Act III story.

 

[Evil Twin]

If you think that, you really should see the movie Murder By Decree, which has Sherlock Holmes fighting Jack the Ripper, and you'll be kind of amazed how similar it is to From Hell. In my opinion, before RDJ's Sherlock, I felt it was the best Sherlock Holmes film of all time. Yes, even better than the Basil Rathbone ones.

That's because Alan Moore and Murder by Decree used the same source for their stories, Stephen Knight's William Gull/Freemasons theory.

Only, Murder by Decree didn't have important events in an occult pattern around London, FROM HELL did.

 

[Wolvieboy17]

And yet, they still recognize Queen Elizabeth as their queen.

Plus, they still have the itty bitty Union Jack in their flag. Ergo, they're still one of us. They just don't know it. t:

At least the Scottish and Irish joined by choice. We Welsh got ourselves conquered!

I sure as hell don't. The only thing anyone in aus likes about her is that we get a public holiday on the queens birthday. We tried to have a referendum for a republic years ago, but the prime minister at the time was a staunch Monarchist. Basically, theres a bunch of oldies in the older generation of australians who are still holding onto that idea of 'The Mother Country' but I think if we held another referendum for a republic a year from now, there would be a very different outcome... And I do love the idea of President Kevin Rudd lol... Pres Kev!

 

[chamber-music]

What the hell you get a public holiday on her birthday

We pay for her and we don't even get that. But anyway I don't really care about the queen or the royal family and a lot more british people than the rest of the world realise don't either. There good for tourism mostly.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

I only really like Prince Harry. He's a proper bloke and he even fought in the 'Ghan.

 

[That-Guy]

Not quite. The film's budget was $80 million, is doing beyond the budget, it broke christmas records, made beyond estimates in its opening weekend. So I wouldn't say that. They said the opening weekend was enough to warrant a sequel. Which I hope it happens!

Yes but we live in the Age of Avatar now. Not only was Avatar the greatest film ever made and will surely sweep the Oscars, winning every single award for directing, screenwriting, special effects, costumes, make-up AND acting, it has also made so much money that every other film in 2009 has been deemed a flop. Since James Cameron spent $300 million on the film and managed to make it all back, he has thereby proved that there is absolutely no excuse for any film to ever achieve a box office of at least $1 billion worldwide. Avatar has changed moviemaking forever, proving once and for all that when something is as expensive as possible, it is absolutely brilliant and should never be criticized.

 

[Wolvieboy17]

I think its exaggerating a bit to suggest that any film that doesn't equal Avatars success to be a flop. Unless you're joking, in which case, I get it. lol :P

 

[That-Guy]

I think its exaggerating a bit to suggest that any film that doesn't equal Avatars success to be a flop. Unless you're joking, in which case, I get it. lol :P

No, I was dead serious there.

 

[ultimatefan]

RDJ is on his way to giving Will Smith a run for his - ton of -money as Hollywood´s biggest star. One of the greatest comeback stories ever.

SH hasn´t opened in my country yet, but I look forward to it.

 

[MadVillainy]

another thing I realized that I didnt like in the movie was the explosion scene. Not the fact that there was an explosion but where it was in slo mo and it felt drawn out after a bit.
Also I thought the bridge scene was weak