Sherlock Holmes

The World’s Greatest Detective is a title that many sleuths throughout storybook history have laid claim to. But few have ever reached the level epic-ness that is Sherlock Holmes. Agatha Christie herself (another well known English Mystery writer) read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved mysteries extensively as a teen. The character Sherlock Holmes is well known for his use of logic, and more particularly the use of deductive reasoning. However very few young mystery readers are interested simply, in logic, and reasoning. So “logically” there must be more to Sherlock Holmes.

SHERLOCK HOLMES, premiered in theatres Christmas 2009. Many classical Sherlock Holmes lovers were turned off by the movie’s action movie style, akin to the Bourn spy films. Robert Downey Jr. portrays a Holmes with an air for the theatrical. But while this is unexpected of a Sherlock Holmes movie, die hard fans of this beloved sleuth will note that it is completely true to the books. However infrequent, Holmes Does display talents as a marksman, a specialist at close combat, and very often shows his skills as a scientist. So while the new movie differs dramatically from the films made in the early 1900s, it seems to be more accurate, and more interesting.

Robert Downey Jr. brings a certain “character” to the role of Sherlock Holmes that few others could. Not only a gifted actor, he has also dealt with the problems of addiction that Holmes is constantly, “battling” (in the film Watson catches Holmes drinking from a bottle of meds used for eye surgery). The relationship between Dr. Watson, (played by Jude Law) and Holmes in the movie is astounding. Watching Holmes and Watson interact, you would swear that they had been friends for ages. Not only this, but you find yourself longing for more dialog between the two of them when in the middle of fight and chase scenes (Interesting dialog is after all a rarity now a days).

Without giving away any of the key points in the plot, (to those of you who haven’t seen this masterpiece) the story is as follow. Lord Blackwood, begins the movie by attempting to remove a girls soul. After being thwarted by our beloved hero, he is hung, but not before giving Holmes a warning about coming events. He later rises from the grave, and begins to murder off multiple different people, claming to want to bring peace to a warring world, and to his grand empire. Of course, Holmes keeps a level head, and begins to work out the fine details of the multiple “supernatural” events. For those of you who are die hard fans, there are even a few guest characters from the books, including the illusive Irene Adler.

Sherlock Holmes is rated pg-13, for violence, (which it deserves) and other suspenseful goodies, as well as for partial nudity. For those of you opposed to such things, simply put you see a bit of a girls back and shoulders, and the bit from the add where Holmes is covered by a largish pillow. You are most likely going to see worse on any public street, theme park, and most definitely at pools and beaches.

As Holmes said in the movie, “You must be careful, or you will find yourself changing facts to fit theories rather then theories to fit facts.” The facts seem to support SHERLOCK HOLMES being one of the best movies of both 2009, and 2010. Don’t believe me? Watch the movie, READ THE BOOKS, and let the clues speak for themselves.