Opened in theaters : Christmas 2009. My first movie for 2010, and a good one. Jude Law and Robert Downey, Jr. are the latest cinematic Watson & Holmes duo, and they team up to try and figure out what evil mayhem Lord Blackwood, a devil-worshipping baddie who somehow manages to come back from the grave, is up to. . What's To Like... The turn-of-the-20th-century London settings are fantastic, even if they are CGI-rendered. Both main characters have been re-cast, and like (most of) the Batman movies of the past decade-plus, this is an improvment. Holmes is more brooding now, and often withdraws into his inner thoughts. His boxing skills now have some kung-fu influences, and although he of course has brilliant detective skills,, he also has some vulnerabilities. Most notably, a pretty face and some female attention can really screw his head around. . But it is the re-make of Watson that really shines. Gone is the bumbling, clueless geezer; replaced by a young, close friend of Holmes who, if lacking the deductive prowess of his colleague, has a level head and a lot more common sense. Which means he can cover Holmes' back a lot better than the "old" Watsons. . The plot is good. You keep wondering if Blackwood's feats and powers are of supernatural origin, as natural explanations seem few and far-fetched. And there's a lot of (scientific) chemistry throughout the movie, which makes me misty-eyed, albeit probably from the fumes. We're a long way from OSHA. . The action scenes are well-done, and there's a stream of subtle humor that flows along with the plot. The ending points to an obvious sequel. Blackwood may be evil, but he's no UE. That role is reserved for Professor Moriarty. . So we'll give this one 9 stars, losing points only because Holmes mumbles too much when he broods, and because Mycroft Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars are nowhere to be seen. It kept me entertained, and there was even some romance to keep Liz interested. Although I read the complete set of Sherlock Homes stories many times as a kid, I find the "new" Watson and Holmes to be a refreshing change. And the fact that the plot is new, and not a retelling of one of Arthur Conan Doyle's tales is a plus, not a minus.
No comments:
Post a Comment