Monday, December 28, 2009

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

The new Guy Ritchie film, Sherlock Holmes opened up this past week on Christmas Day. I saw it the day after, and suffice it to say the theater was packed. While I was watching it, there was one thought that I couldn’t shake. “I’d seen this movie before.” Not literally of course, it was a new movie. But I couldn’t get past this feeling that the elements of the movie were familiar. Let’s look at some aspects of the movie. The setting of the vast dinginess and enormity of turn of the century London was something I recall from Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd. The setting is used very well in both movies. It’s very nice to look at and see a fully realized 1890 London. The characters of Holmes and Watson, the way they engage* with one another reminds me of another entertaining Johnny Depp film Pirates of the Caribbean. Although Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Holmes is notably much more intelligent and much less flamboyant he shares with Sparrow the same love of using ten words with six of them alliterative, when four will do. Jude Law’s Watson also reminds me of Orlando Bloom's Will Turner, though again more intelligent and much more loyal. If those two weren’t enough to make you think of the Pirates movies, simply listen to the music: it was scored by Hans Zimmer who makes similar use of a fiddled violin as he does in Pirates.

These connections to other films do not detract from this film. I don’t believe this film was ever meant to be a game changer when it comes to its approach to filmmaking. Even the story line has been done before: secret society being taken over by a powerful and sinister member who was thought to be too radical trying to take over the world. Though the way in which this particular villain, played by Mark Strong, attempts to accomplish his totalitarian feat lies in line with the scientific and logical tradition for which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories were popular, even if the rest of the story does not. Ritchie has taken positive aspects from these movies and has successfully integrated them into what I believe is an entertaining, if not at all original, film. Secret societies are interesting and engaging to the imagination.

The wit and sarcasm with which Holmes and Watson and in some cases Holmes romantic interest Irene Adler (played by the always lovely Rachel McAdams) converse with each other is fun and funny. The music is fantastic; Hans Zimmer seems to do no wrong these days. He correctly characterizes through his music the paradox that is the Ritchie Sherlock Holmes who is both drunken boxer and genius detective and in two specific instances both at the same time.



This is, if nothing else, an entertaining movie. If you want an enjoyable movie experience go see it, if you want original storytelling, take a pass on Sherlock Holmes. Either way, the game is most definitely afoot. 5/10