Warner Bros. Reimagining Sherlock Holmes

[Shifty]

He did have a great speech but it who wouldn't want RDJ as their waiter?

 

[Hunter Rider]

I saw it today and as a lifelong Sherlock fan I was very pleased with the movie. What it gets so right is it takes all of the classic touchstones, nails the look and gets the atmosphere spot on, then sprinkles in some comedy and shoots the detective sequences like an episode of CSI whilst never jarring you out of the period.

RDJ as Holmes is brilliant, he wisely chooses not to emulate Brett or Rathbone or even stick overly closely to the books, like the film itself he embodies the spirit and many of the facets of the character but puts his own modern spin oh him, creating one of the most entertaining interpretations I have seen.

Jude Law is actually built more like the way Holmes is drawn and is the only Watson I have seen to be taller than Holmes, yet it doesn't play on your mind at all as the two work together seamlessly in creating the classic duo. The choice to turn Irene Adler into a spunky American thief is an inspired one and Rachel McAdams imbues her with a real zest and charm. If there is a weakness on the character front it is Lord Blackwood, Mark Strong does fine creating menace in the scenes he is in but they are few and he is a pretty average villain.

Speaking of villains the introduction of Moriarty was superbly executed and creates the required air of menace around him, especially I imagine for those not familiar with the character, my only complaint would be the voice, not quite sinister enough IMO.

The action is not as big as I was expecting but the sequences that are there are very well executed, mixing modern editing with oldschool action, the chase to the shipyards in particular is fun and I thought the scene where Watson and Holmes are caught in the booby trap explosion was visually stunning, however the films greatest use of visuals is in the brilliantly executed deduction scenes.

The story is good enough to be a Holmes mystery, the twists are smartly unwound and I was engaged in the intrigue for the full run time, the film zips along at a fair pace but never feels rushed.

I'm not a fan of Guy Richie in the least but I commend his achievement here, he's created a visually grand, funny adventure/detective movie that is both a modern take and classic Holmes merged into a highly entertaining package.

8.5/10

 

[Doctor Jones]

Not a fan of Guy Ritchie? I hope you mean his bad films? Snatch and Lock, Stock are ****ing awesome.

 

[TheVileOne]

I think McAdams was the weakest part of the movie and she could've been cut entirely.

Holmes didn't really need a romantic female foil, but you know you "needed" her because of all the Holmes and Watson r gay trash.

 

[xwolverine2]

i thought she did fine with what she had...
Mcadams is a great actress

 

[Hunter Rider]

Not a fan of Guy Ritchie? I hope you mean his bad films? Snatch and Lock, Stock are ****ing awesome.

Your hope is dashed then, I don't like those mockney gangster films at all.

i thought she did fine with what she had...
Mcadams is a great actress

She was a smart way to bring some estrogen amongst the foppery and was sparky, plus she was a good way to bring Moriarty into the mix as someone already aware of Holmes and showing his manipulation tactics that are a big part of the character.

 

[Raiden]

i thought she did fine with what she had...
Mcadams is a great actress

McAdams is indeed great, but unfortunately she had went MIA for awhile after that success she had garnered with films like Red Eye & Notebook. It's nice to see that she has began to make movies again.

 

[The Caped Knight]

Title: Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Starring: Robert Downey Jr
Released: 30th March 2010
SRP: $28.98 (DVD)

Further Details:
Warner Home Video has announced DVD ($28.98) and Blu-ray/DVD Combo ($35.99) releases of Sherlock Holmes which stars Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. Each will be available to own from the 30th March. As far as we know, the only extra material on the DVD release will be a Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented featurette. The Blu-ray/DVD Combo will include that, along with a WB Maximum Movie Mode (Director Guy Ritchie Walk On, PIP, Focus Points, Storyboard Comparisons, Still Gallery Timeline), deleted scenes, and a digital copy of the film.

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/sherlock-holmes.html

 

[Doctor Jones]

Wow, I was thinking when they were going to release the DVD news today. I didn't think it would be released today.

March 30th is a short wait. I thought it would be released in April or so.

 

[ross2287]

Seems kind of soon to be honest.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Everything seems too soon with Sherlock Holmes. I believe that they are rushing the sequel and that makes me nervous because there are alot of things that need to be fixed in the next one IMHO.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Everything seems too soon with Sherlock Holmes. I believe that they are rushing the sequel and that makes me nervous because there are alot of things that need to be fixed in the next one IMHO.

2 Years between films is pretty normal.

 

[That-Guy]

Yeah, come on Spidey... I can think of ONE other RDJ sequel that was rushed into production that you're looking forward to.

Also, on the Guy Richie note... I'm curious how "Guy Richie-esque" you guys felt this movie was. I'm guessing, Hunter Rider, that you didn't find it to cut too close to his usual style, which you don't like.

Personally, I love Guy Richie's style but I felt that this film was a major departure from that. There were a few scenes that reminded me of Snatch to some extent (the slow motion punches in the boxing match, the scene right after Irene shows up at 221B Baker St) but for the most part, if I hadn't known it was a Guy Richie film going into it, I'd never have guessed.

Yet, a few of my friends said it was OBVIOUS Guy Richie. One loved it and felt this way... and another friend I have who hates everything he does loathed the movie and felt it was just like Lock, Stock. I'm curious what you guys think about that.

 

[Deaths Head II]

The only Guy Ritchie film I saw before was a little bit of Swept Away.

I'm guessing that doesn't count.

 

[That-Guy]

LOL, well, to be fair, I haven't seen Slept Away. Nor do I ever plan to. But I'm guessing it doesn't count.

Love the avatar by the way. Quaritch rocks.

 

[Deaths Head II]

Love the avatar by the way. Quaritch rocks.

Yep, he does. t:

 

[That-Guy]

Stephen Lang for Moriarty!

Just kidding. Not even Moriarty could be that badass.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

2 Years between films is pretty normal.

Three years seems too be far more normal.

Yeah, come on Spidey... I can think of ONE other RDJ sequel that was rushed into production that you're looking forward to.

I was and still am worried about how quickly Iron Man 2 was put together.

I'm also not feeling the look of the villain and I'm afraid that there are going to be too many characters.

Besides I felt that Iron Man was quite a bit stronger film than Holmes.

 

[Deaths Head II]

Stephen Lang for Moriarty!

Just kidding. Not even Moriarty could be that badass.

A movie about Sherlock Holmes vs Quaritch on the other hand...

 

[Hunter Rider]

Three years seems too be far more normal.

Spidey 1 and 2, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, Transformers 1 and 2, FF 1 and 2, Iron Man 1 and 2, Fast and the Furious 1 and 2, Lethal Weapon 1 and 2, Die Hard, Die Hard 2 etc....all 2 years between them and that's just off the top of my head.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Spider-Man 2 seems to be the only movie that was better recieved than the original out of all of those films...I'm just sayin.

Well some modern films with 3 years and longer wait:

Pirates of the Caribbean 2, The Martix Reloaded, Star Trek 2, The Dark Knight

And I've run out of ideas...somebody help me, I'm losing my arguement.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Spider-Man 2 seems to be the only movie that was better recieved than the original out of all of those films...I'm just sayin.

Well some modern films with 3 years and longer wait:

Pirates of the Caribbean 2, The Martix Reloaded, Star Trek 2, The Dark Knight

And I've run out of ideas...somebody help me, I'm losing my arguement.

I'd say FF2 was better than FF1 personally and Lethal Weapon 2 has it's fans over 1, not me mind you.

And all but TDK poorer than their predecessor. I really don't think 2 or 3 matters if the ideas and the talent are on their game, just as much can go wrong with too much time to fiddle as too little.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Watched this last night, thought it was quite good, though was slow in parts and some of the effects were poor, but RDJ was awesome in it.

8/10

 

[VenomVsSpidey]

It comes out on dvd next week. /weird.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I still can't decide if I like LW or LW2 better. It's like deciding which hot twin girls to date.