![\"Watson](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/calverosdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/Watson-and-Holmes-with-bow-300x199.jpg?resize=300%2C199\" "\\"Watson")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I wasn’t sure on what to expect from the movie.\u00a0 I’ve been a Sherlockian for over 20 years. I was excited.\u00a0 It was the first Holmes movie in more than 20 years.\u00a0 I had my doubts about Downey.\u00a0 Not in his acting however or that he was not British.\u00a0 One of the big complaints from some Holmes fans about Downey was the fact that he was not British. Having seen him numerous times in Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin was British) where he had to learn 2-3 different accents to cover different eras of Chaplin’s life, I knew he could handle that.<\/p>\n
Jude Law looked excellent as Watson, and from the trailers he seemed good, but I was going to hold off final opinion until I saw them in action.<\/p>\n
I also had never seen a Guy Ritchie movie before.\u00a0 Other than having violence in his work, I really didn’t know what form he would take Holmes.<\/p>\n
I went to the theater the day after Christmas.\u00a0 It was a busy Saturday afternoon and a lot of people were outside. I stood in one of the two lines.\u00a0 And as I stood there, I listened to what people were getting tickets to see.\u00a0 Most were for Holmes shich made me smile and also made me nervous.\u00a0 What it gets sold out before it was my turn?<\/p>\n
“Sorry, it was just sold out.\u00a0 The last ticket was to the person right in front of you”<\/p>\n
But I held my breath and waited.<\/p>\n
“Three for Sherlock Holmes. Five for Sherlock Holmes. Two for Sherlock Holmes…”<\/p>\n
After serveral people on both sides getting Holmes tickets, it was my turn.<\/p>\n
“One for Sherlock Holmes”<\/p>\n
After the poor guy had to type in my number because the card was worn, which also added a little tension thinking that it would sell out, he gave me the little ticket to sign, then handed me the movie ticket and receipt ticket.\u00a0 I smiled and headed in.
\nI gave it to the guy inside who was talking to a couple of the other patrons about how he was having trouble saying awake while working.<\/p>\n
I walked in the room where it was playing.\u00a0 Packed!\u00a0 I looked around for a place to sit.\u00a0 Down…Down…Down the aisle I went.\u00a0 Finally I settled in the middle of the third row.\u00a0 They were playing one of those commercials for Coca-Cola and Walmart with the young guy going through a party, singing.\u00a0 I looked around.\u00a0 There were young teens, older couples, and people my age or thereabouts.<\/p>\n
Good size crowd.\u00a0 Very good size.<\/p>\n
Trailers started.\u00a0 First one showed Robert Downey Jr sitting in a crowded courtroom.\u00a0 It was a trailer for Iron Man 2.\u00a0 After a few other trailers, the cobble streets of London filled the screen…<\/p>\n
![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/calverosdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/Downey-as-Holmes-300x154.jpg?resize=300%2C154\" "\\"Robert")
I was afraid I wouldn’t like Downey as Holmes, mainly due the physical differences.\u00a0 It doesn’t seem right that Holmes is shorter than Watson.\u00a0 And the hair didn’t seem right either.\u00a0 While I watched the trailers and see Downey, I mainly saw Downey play Holmes… I didn’t see Holmes.\u00a0 And I was afraid that would be too distracting.\u00a0 So I decided I would go in based on the other factors, his acting (wasn’t too worried about that) and how he sounded.While it was a little distracting in looks, I quickly was able to put that aside and enjoy the film.\u00a0 His accent was very good.\u00a0 He sounded like I expected Holmes to sound.\u00a0 I liked how he talked his way on how to attack an opponent and the result of hitting\/ kicking would do to the poor soul he was fighting.\u00a0 His meeting with Watson’s fiance Mary (one of the actual characters from the original\u00a0 stories, first in Sign of Four).\u00a0 She insists that Holmes give deductions about her, all the while Watson is trying to talk her out of it. Holmes goes through a rapid fire list of things about her, resulting in her throwing her drink in his face (I don’t think Holmes saw that coming \ud83d\ude09 ).<\/p>\n
Other deductions were also great such as when Holmes has a bag placed over his head so he couldn’t see where some men were taking him.\u00a0 When the bag is removed after arriving in a chair in a secret location, the host doesn’t expect Holmes to know where they are at or who the host is.\u00a0 Holmes then goes through a list of smells, sounds, turns of the carriage that he observed while riding in the carriage and gives the location of where they are and who the gentleman is.<\/p>\n
Also I liked how the film showed Holmes’ lack of socializing and “absurd” (to society anyway) way of living. which Watson hits Holmes with while being held in a pen.<\/p>\n
Also interesting brief look into why Holmes does not socialize much during the scene with him in the resturant and the sounds and appearances of people get to him for a brief moment as he tries to block it out.<\/p>\n
Ultimate was at the end where Holmes explains how everything happened (though I’ll let you find out what Holmes discovered.)<\/p>\n Things like that gave me a thumbs up for Downey (though Jeremy Brett is still my favorite Holmes). And now Jude Law as John Watson.\u00a0 The guy was good. So, so good!\u00a0 The look, the way he talked.\u00a0 One hundred percent believable. Unlike Downey, when I looked at Watson, I saw Watson, I didn’t see Law playing Watson.\u00a0 I put him right up there with David Burke and Edward Hardwicke as great.\u00a0 Just like the Watson in the stories, he is faithful to his unusual friend but also brutally honest when there’s something that he does not agree with him about.<\/p>\n Rachael McAdams was good as Irene Adler, though I must say I am sick and tired of people putting a romantic spin between her and Holmes.\u00a0 Though credit goes to the film for showing Holmes not totally interested in her romantically.\u00a0 And yes, Adler is American (I’ve read some grumblings about that).\u00a0 She is another character from the original canon, A Scandal in Bohemia (one of my favorite Holmes stories) which was the first Holmes short story.\u00a0 And yes, she outsmarts Holmes in that.\u00a0 But there was no hanky-panky with them in there.<\/p>\n Mark Strong was good, though a bit of the stereotypical bad guy.\u00a0 In parts he kind of reminded me of Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs.<\/p>\n And hooray for them putting Inspector Lestrade in it, played by Eddie Marsan.\u00a0 I was wondering if he was going to be in it, and also how his name would be pronounced.\u00a0 Marsan didn’t look rat faced enough so I still will mark down Colin Jeavons as best Lestrade (from the Brett\/Burke\/Hardwicke series).\u00a0 And the name is pronounced the same in this film as it was in the Rathbone films, with a short “a”.\u00a0 When I originally read the stories, I read it with a long “a”, like in” trade”.<\/p>\n The minute I found out that Hans Zimmer wrote the soundtrack, I knew I would like it.\u00a0 Turns out that not only the main theme is great, but the whole thing is good!\u00a0 Love the sound of a broken piano, it added a new fresh sound to Holmes.\u00a0 While listening to it at home, I looked through a bunch of pictures of Rathbone\/Bruce and Brett\/Burke\/Hardwicke, the music still fit.\u00a0 Thumbs up for Zimmer (again)!\u00a0 I am listening to it repeatedly as I am writing this review. Click hear to have a listen<\/a> from the movie official site.\u00a0 Just let it play and you can listen to the whole thing.\u00a0 If press the triangles, it’ll just play samples.\u00a0 Here’s a great article from the London Times about how Zimmer created the unique sounds: “Hans Zimmer: ‘The sound of Sherlock Holmes? It\u2019s a broken piano'”<\/a><\/p>\n I had the theme song stuck in my head a couple hours after the movie, my mind a whirl wind of positive things things to say about the film.\u00a0 I was smiling throughout the whole thing, totally taking up in what was going on, and trying to figure out the little mysteries as they came up.\u00a0 And with all the positive things I’ve see in tweets and reviews, looks like there will be more interest in the great detective, which, for a long time fan, is always a good thing \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n (Holmes pointing his violin bow at Watson) Not a deerstalker\/curved shape pipe\/”Elementary my dear Watson” in sight! Yay!<\/p>\n ————————<\/p>\n There were a few of classic Holmes sayings. Two that I remember:<\/p>\n “Data, data, data.\u00a0 I can not make bricks without clay”<\/p>\n “”It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”<\/p>\n I had posted trailer #2 in my last regular post<\/a>, but a much better one was released later:<\/p>\n![\"Holmes](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/calverosdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/Holmes-fighting-228x300.jpg?resize=228%2C300\" "\\"Holmes")
Big arguments about the fighting scene with people saying that Holmes didn’t fight.\u00a0 While he did not fight a lot, he certainly knew how to and was familiar with martial arts and how to wield a cane.\u00a0 The picture on the left is from “Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist”<\/a>, published in 1904.<\/p>\n![\"Jude](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/calverosdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/Law-as-Watson-300x160.jpg?resize=300%2C160\" "\\"Jude")
<\/p>\nThe soundtrack<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Overall<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Favorite Scenes\/Lines<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nWatson<\/strong>: Get that thing out of my face
\nHolmes<\/strong>: It’s not in your face, it’s in my hand.
\nWatson<\/strong>: Get that thing that’s in your hand out of my face.
\n———————–
\nScenes with the Big Guy that Holmes fights twice, and they talk French to each other. Ha! Very good!\u00a0 A Indiana Jones moment at the shipyard when Holmes throws a small hammer at him and it just bounces off. Reminds me of when Indy fought that big Nazi by the fighter plane in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
\n———————–
\nHolmes:<\/strong> Save your bullets Watson.
\n(a few seconds later they both fire their guns, Holmes doing most of the shooting)
\nWatson:<\/strong> What was that about saving bullets?
\n———————–
\nHolmes trying to unlock a door. Watson comes up and kicks the door in.
\n———————–<\/p>\nAnd finally, a cool trailer….<\/strong><\/h2>\n