"Sherlock Holmes" (2009) Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

Holmes for the Holiday.

Sherlock Holmes: "You've never complained about my methods before."
Dr. John Watson: "I've never complained! When have I ever complained about you practicing the violin at three in the morning, or your mess? Your general lack of hygiene or the fact that you steal my clothes?"

Release Date: December 25, 2009
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Guy Ritchie
Screenwriter: Michael Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly

Plot Summary: In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, "Sherlock Holmes" sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Visit the official movie site here.

Comments?

Merry Christmas everyone! If the weather allows you to go outside, Sherlock Holmes is now in theaters!

[defunctzombie]

Nobody else saw this yet?

Well I did. I thought it was great. You can take the family if you want, there's no swearing, no gory violence and the only "sexual" scene is the one from the trailer with RDJ guarded by a pillow.

Trailers were good. I saw Iron Man, Clash of the Titans, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Hot Tub Time Machine (?), Cop Out, a DiCaprio movie, and a CBS Harrison Ford movie.

From what I remember of the tv show and stories, this is a fairly faithful representation of Holmes. Here he's into drinking rather than opium (I assume throughout the film that was a regular pipe) and he's a tad more loony, but that's okay.

The story is a good mystery. I had it most of the time, though there was one I couldn't figure out:

Spoiler:

How Blackwood made the American burn up. Turns out the rain wasn't exactly rain.

I also called the man in the carriage before the reveal:

Spoiler:

Moriarty! Can't have a Holmes movie without him.

This is one that will definitely be a blu-ray purchase.

[Lelouch]

Saw this movie just a bit ago and I really loved it. Going in I actually didn't expect much. The previews were alright, but in general there was nothing that really caught my attention. Really I only went because I think Rachel McAdams is fantastic.

RDJ was fantastic as Holmes. He was hilarious yet badass all at the same time. Jude Law also made a great Watson, and the duo really made the movie for me. The chemistry between the two was fantastic and the actors pulled it off really well.

Though a somewhat predictable plot, the mysteries behind it were not so easily to figure out. I found myself intrigued the whole time and kept wondering what the answer to certain things were. The villain was great, but I look forward to the next movie where this Moriarty character is fleshed out.

Oh and, back to McAdams. She was quite a delight to watch. Though I wish she had been in this film more. Perhaps in the sequel she will have a larger role. I kind of wanted a fight scene between her and RDJ but it didn't quite happen. Ah well.

Also, I thought the music was just amazing. Really made everything come together quite nicely.

[Anarky]

looking forward to Holmes 2 w/ M!

4 stars from me: great cast, story, and action. definitely dvd worthy

[RedNinja84]

Saw it today and it was pretty good. RDJ did a good job of portraying the cocky, self absorbed Holmes from the books. The visuals were awesome and the acting was pretty good. even liked the villain and he actually had a good plan. So I can see a sequel coming soon.

[DarkAngel]

So were you guys Holmes fans going in? I'm not, but I've had a certain concept of what a Sherlock Holmes movie "should" be like, and the trailer didn't quite match that. I definitely don't have a problem with change, or an update, but the previews seemed too loud. I'm worried about the movie having too much noise and flash, and not enough substance or story, which wouldn't seem right for a Holmes mystery.

How much weight was given to mystery, and Holmes attempt to solve it, vs action/explosions?

Also, my dad's been wanting to see something, and ordinarily a Sherlock Holmes movie would be a perfect choice, but I'm worried about this being too much of an action/blockbuster type for him.

DA

[suss2it]

So were you guys Holmes fans going in? I'm not, but I've had a certain concept of what a Sherlock Holmes movie "should" be like, and the trailer didn't quite match that. I definitely don't have a problem with change, or an update, but the previews seemed too loud. I'm worried about the movie having too much noise and flash, and not enough substance or story, which wouldn't seem right for a Holmes mystery.

How much weight was given to mystery, and Holmes attempt to solve it, vs action/explosions?

Also, my dad's been wanting to see something, and ordinarily a Sherlock Holmes movie would be a perfect choice, but I'm worried about this being too much of an action/blockbuster type for him.

DA

There was just one explosion which is relevant to the plot and mystery. My only problem with the movie is that not enough clues were given to the audience to solve on their own.

[defunctzombie]

So were you guys Holmes fans going in?

I was. Double nerd credit because I've even seen the TNG episodes with Data vs Moriarty.

Re suss2it:

I kind of agree with you. There was a point that I thought the writers really were going for the supernatural

Spoiler:

but I'm glad I held out hope.

[Juu-kuchi]

Rather enjoyed this movie. Granted it's a bit overblown and over-the-top, it is compensated by the performances of Downey and Law, who play really well off one another. I'm rather alright with this variation of Holmes, despite not being the usual one we're familiar with but rather somebody that comes off more as a burlesque variation of Basil of Baker Street cranked up to 11.

Looking forward to the sequel.

[purplehairedwonder]

I wasn't a Holmes fan going into this, so I didn't have much in the way of expectations. Aside from feeling like the film dragged a bit approaching the last third or so, I had a lot of fun with the film. The "cage" fight or whatever that was seemed out of place to me, though I enjoyed seeing how Holmes planned out every hit with tactical precision. I laughed quite a bit and was really endeared by the chemistry between RDJ and Jude Law. Lots of fun.

My biggest complaint was my own bias against Watson's fiance because the actress played the nasty Bingley sister in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice and I just couldn't get that character out of my head But that's not the film's fault.

****/***** and looking forward to a sequel.

[Old Guy]

Saw it today. Very fun.

a DiCaprio movie

Inception. The new movies from Chris Nolan, director of The Dark Knight.

[BigMac]

Saw it yesterday. I thought it was good. Not like the Sherlock Holmes TV series but it was entertaining.

Here's my rating: 3.5/5

Spoiler:

The ways that Blackheart used to kill his victims were really intriguing. How is someone still alive after being pronounced dead?

[Classic Speedy]

Well that was enjoyable. It had a good mystery that kept me in the dark, it was visually stylish without being annoyingly so, and the banter between Holmes and Watson was done well. It also felt like the late 1800s, so a credit to the set/costume designers on that one.

One thing puzzled me, though:

Spoiler:

How did Holmes know about the secret ceremony with the villain where everyone drank the antidote?

[defunctzombie]

One thing puzzled me, though:

Spoiler:

How did Holmes know about the secret ceremony with the villain where everyone drank the antidote?

My mom thinks he "deduced it".

[Michael JJ]

I saw it on Saturday, my thoughts:

I've read only three Holmes stories, so I wasn't 100% sure what to expect. In the end, though, I liked it. Good action, great deductions from Holmes, etc. I liked it. Not too much more I can say.

[Young Justice]

Great movie. Guy Ritchie at his best although more mainstream than usual. Downey Jr. and Law: Great chemistry. 4.5/5.

Who's the guy who does the

Spoiler:

Moriarty

voice? It's no listed on IMDB.

[Hobbes829]

are there any plans or talks about a sequel?

[Hanshotfirst113]

So were you guys Holmes fans going in? I'm not, but I've had a certain concept of what a Sherlock Holmes movie "should" be like, and the trailer didn't quite match that. I definitely don't have a problem with change, or an update, but the previews seemed too loud. I'm worried about the movie having too much noise and flash, and not enough substance or story, which wouldn't seem right for a Holmes mystery.

How much weight was given to mystery, and Holmes attempt to solve it, vs action/explosions?

Also, my dad's been wanting to see something, and ordinarily a Sherlock Holmes movie would be a perfect choice, but I'm worried about this being too much of an action/blockbuster type for him.

DA

Well, seeing as Arthur Conan Doyle could be a very distant ancestor of mine, I'd say I'm a pretty big fan . In all seriousness, I'm considering going to see it, and I'm a big fan of the books, so I'll let you know.

[CartoonOverlord]

It was a real fun movie, only small gripe is that Holmes didn't use his analysis fighting in the showdown at the end, would have made the cage fight a nice bit of foreshadowing. Overall Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law were great and the mystery was good too.

[DarkAngel]

Well, seeing as Arthur Conan Doyle could be a very distant ancestor of mine, I'd say I'm a pretty big fan . In all seriousness, I'm considering going to see it, and I'm a big fan of the books, so I'll let you know.

Well, unexpectedly, I ended up seeing Holmes instead of Avatar (got out-voted). So I guess my thoughts come first. So beware spoilers.

As I was saying in the BO thread, I had too much trouble trying to pick out and understand some of Downey's dialogue far too often, which was a serious annoyance for me and kinda/sorta brought down the experience for me.

Very much enjoyed the opening segments and the way in which it was filmed, though I don't believe anything that followed (as far as directorial touches) had me nearly as impressed. I guess in that respect, I'll also mention the two action-sequences that were preceded by Holmes thought process. That was well done.

With the performances, in particular, Law as Watson was excellent. I think he made the movie for me. Picture perfect, every note spot on.

I'll also say another saving grace was that there was nothing supernatural behind Blackwood. That is something way too overused nowadays and I was so glad to see it was just parlour tricks, so to speak.

I don't want to sound like I'm dumping on it. On the whole, I enjoyed it. But it was close. I was hoping for something better, something that more consistently had me engrossed. I think all the elements were there, but that Ritchie just didn't put together in a way that was better (or even equal) to the sum of its parts. Enjoyed the style and atmosphere of the movie and wished there was a more engaging plot and villain for us to sink our teeth into.

Oh, another plus: the music. Who was the composer?

It was a real fun movie, only small gripe is that Holmes didn't use his analysis fighting in the showdown at the end, would have made the cage fight a nice bit of foreshadowing.

My assumption was that he's always using his "fight analysis", but that they just didn't show it. They gave us a couple glimpses early of he his mind works, and once established, no need to keep doing it. Not that I would have minded necessarily, as I enjoyed that element, but given that it felt a tad long overall, probably good that they didn't employ that for every fight he was in.

DA