FILM REVIEW- Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes (12a, 128 minutes)

By Guest Reviewer, Sherlock Holmes himself…

This strange turn of events began when I was asked, unexpectedly, to come along to the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne last Tuesday night. Instructions regarding this invitation came forth in the form of a letter.

“Come alone,” demanded the note. This inspired nothing but trepidation within me. No faithful Watson by my side? “It is to watch a dramatised versions of one of your exploits. Tivoli at 7.30.” There were no further elaborations or any mark indicating who had sent it forth.

I decided to venture out, as I could simply not turn down the request. I had not had work for several weeks and this could be the start of something big. Plus to turn down a celebrations of my escapades would be foolish indeed.

Once I arrived within the theatre, which was an unexpected bustle of noise and excitement, I kept a close eye to see if I was being watched. No-one seemed to be eyeing me with malicious intent so I pressed onwards to my seat.

The screen lit up and the adaptation began. The first thing which struck me was how impressively grungy and authentic the film looked. It sucked me into Victorian era London to the point of which I felt like I was there myself. Which I was at one point, but that is getting beside the point.

The part of myself was played by the American Robert Downey Jnr. This struck me as odd and unfitting at first, and was not helped by the sheer speed of which the man spoke, which on occasions made it hard to distinguish what he was uttering. Surely I too, am not guilty too of speaking at a speed so hard to understand?

I did eventually accept this shortcoming and became fond of the man however, undoubtedly helped by Jude Law, who played my trusted companion Watson. He oozed quiet confidence and managed to create an engaging and enjoyable relationship with Downey Jnr.

As for the villain of the piece, the infamous Lord Blackwood, was ably imitated by Mark Strong. A sardonic, brooding threat, he kept the film moving along when it may have faltered.

As, make no mistake; this was not one of my more complex cases. It seemed the auteur of this film, Guy Ritchie, had to fill much of the time setting the scene and introducing the characters and their subsequent relationships. The main case, one of intrigue and surprising revelations, was hardly allowed to breathe.

Overall the case was an enjoyable one, but I feel subsequent chapters can become even more packed with suspense and mystery. There were exciting moments, such as a confidently fight scene with a towering Frenchman, but for its two hours run time it lacks the expected number of stunning set pieces.

Indeed, the end of the film was geared towards engineering another chapter and I anticipate that will be all the better thanks to this instalments sacrifices.

Once I had left the theatre I had managed to deduce, quite elegantly, that the note was sent by none other than my dear companion, Watson.

The reasons were obvious. He simply wanted to get rid of me so that he could spend more time with his wife. Apparently my continual pestering irks him so.

The fact I could not see this beforehand surprises even myself. But despite this trickery I managed to get the last laugh- the film was an unexpected triumph, and gave a unique interpretation of my great legend. If you’ll pardon the arrogance that last statement engenders.