Holmesian Musings: PART I

I wasn't a big fan of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. Strangely enough, it stuck with me though, like a stone in my shoe or an ingrown nail. I guess that's why I'm posting this review some 8 months after the its initial release. 

There are things about the movie I like. The cast is impeccable, the music riveting, and the cinematography is stylistic and slick. But in spite of these cinematic delights, the main problem I had with the movie relate to its lack of narrative umpf.

(and by the way, there'll be heavy SPOILAGE throughout)

When we are introduced to Holmes and Watson, they have already been partners for years and the good ol' Doctor is ready to move on. He wants to settle down with his wife-to-be and leave behind the adrenalin-pumping days of adventure. This is arguably the most important subplot of the film and it remains unresolved until the third act. The problem is, I don't buy it. I don't believe for a second that Watson would walk out on Holmes for the sake of a seemingly unremarkable girl. Puh-lease. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson belong together like PB and J.

Unfortunately, Watson is not as bright as all that (and one may think he should be after having spent years and years in the company of the most intelligent person on the planet). Consequently, I remain impatient as I await a predictable outcome to an uninvolving predicament.

But what about the meat of the story; its throbbing heart, its roaring engine – the murder mystery?

Well, it certainly is an entertaining ride, but is it engaging? Early on in the film, Holmes and Watson apprehend a madman responsible for a series of occult murders. As a result, the madman is hanged. We can easily deduce that we have not seen the last of this allegedly dead maniac – what else would be the point of devoting the entire beginning of the movie to him? We also know that the seemingly supernatural elements that are taking place must have common-sense explanations, or else the Holmesian tradition of using cold logic to solve a case would be violated.

So, while watching the movie, I start making assumptions about the direction of the story based on what has to take place in order to justify its beginning. It's distracting when the narrative underpinnings make themselves known like this. I feel like what Superman must experience when he first meets a stranger; rather than focusing on the personality and disposition of this new acquaintance, his X-ray vision distracts him with the sight of human tissue and bones.

By the time it is revealed that the occult murders are, in fact, part of a world-reaching conspiracy, my level of interest has already hit the bottom.

Also, I can hardly speak of this movie without mentioning the elaborate slow-motion sequences in which Sherlock Holmes quickly calculates a series of blows and kicks that will bring devastating physical damage to his opponents. These scenes are visually stunning. However, I think they ultimately come off as gimmicky. On the one hand, I suppose they honor the novels and short stories where Sherlock Holmes was portrayed as an expert in the martial arts. On the other hand, Sherlock Holmes was never about the muscle to me, but about the brains.

All in all, I can't deny that it's an entertaining film with an impressive production value and an electrifying cast. Maybe my perspective is simply tainted by an adoration for the source material. But truthfully, it's not a vision of Sherlock Holmes that resonates with me.