Sherlock Holmes (2009/Warner Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture:
B/C+ Sound: B+/B- Extras: C Film: C+
If it
wasn’t for Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as respectively, Sherlock Holmes and
his reluctant partner Dr. Watson, Guy Ritchie’s venture into historical
literature would have been a complete loss.
The money was there and the film had a quite epic feel about it, but all
in all the film was an over the top disappointment. I can say that the new 2009 Sherlock Holmes film is worth viewing
at lest once, as it is a pop-corn film, but far from a classic.
We are
used to Sherlock Holmes as a stuffy detective who slyly solves crime in his
checkered hat and coat; this film decidedly abolished those preconceived
notions by turning Watson and Holmes into variable daredevils. The plot involves an eccentric Holmes
(portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.) investigating the happenings of a series of
interconnected and seemingly mystical occurrences. After the sacrifice/murder of several women
orchestrated by the evil Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), Holmes apprehends the
villain and Blackwood is sentenced to death.
Even with Blackwood out of the picture, however, Holmes is warned of
impending doom that he can do nothing to stop.
Rachel McAdams enters the picture as former love interest of Holmes that
seemingly has a checkered past; fraught with misdeeds and thievery. She has something to do with the ongoing
happenings in London,
but whether she is good or evil will only be determined later on. Dr. Watson (Jude Law) has grown tired of the
wild antics of Holmes and has chosen to settle down with his new fiancé for a
more stable and ‘normal’ life; if Holmes has anything to do with it, however,
Watson isn’t going anywhere. The Yin and
Yang relationship Watson and Holmes have exists from beginning to end in the
film, turmoil only bringing them closer together. The film dances the line of reality and
almost superhero qualities as Holmes’ superior intellect can map out others’
actions before they even happen. The
film is a mix of action/adventure, mystery and science fiction; never quite
settling on set path or even a balanced blend, making it at times captivating,
but mostly distracting.
As I
previously mentioned the acting of Law and Downey Jr. make the film. They are talents that always seem to put
their all into films, but not even their inspiring portrayals can solely save a
film. The other actors of the film are
good, but not amazing; Strong’s character for example often feels over the top
or even forced. Ritchie could not seem
to settle on if he wanted a reality based adventure film or a sci-fi epic; with
the classic characters being twisted and mangled into almost unrecognizable
shadows of themselves. The Sherlock
Holmes name is there, but the heart and soul are lacking.
The
technical features of this Blu-ray are adequate as the sound delivers more than
the picture. The 1080p/VC-1 image
attempts to adequately portray Ritchie’s characteristic gritty, grimy, stylized
look but more often than not is lacking life as colors are blunted; traded out
for grey hues. Some may argue (and I
would agree) that Ritchie intended for the grayish style to heighten the
industrial London
atmosphere, but overall it is not of the best Blu-ray quality. The blacks are nice and deep as the frame the
image, but the lack of any color and the grit are a tad distracting. The crispness and clarity are there though
not perfect, but the textures are nice and detail can be clearly visualized. The anamorphically enhanced DVD is much
weaker and no match for the Blu-ray. The
sound is a DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 Surround that is better than
the picture with a booming track where the bass is often utilized. The directionality is nice as the London streets come to
life, with a dialogue track that is equally impressive. The crisp, clean nature of the sound does not
make up for the gritty picture, but makes for a more pleasurable experience. The Dolby Digital 5.1 by comparison on the
DVD is weaker and not as warm or defined.
The
extras include a barrage of features I did not care for, after sadly being
disappointed by the choppy film. Extras
include Focus Points (HD) is a half-hour segment that explores how Ritchie
brought the gritty feel of London to life including the scenery, costumes, battles,
accents and more; also included is the featurette Sherlock Homes Reinvented
(HD) which is basically some cast interviews about Ritchie’s spin on a
classic. For some odd reason I get the
feeling we will see a ‘Director’s Cut’ or ‘Extended Version’ of the film sooner
rather than later, but I am by no means anxiously awaiting that.
The film
was mildly entertaining as a ‘popcorn chomping film,’ but did little else to
excite me. The ending was a tad
contrived as a blatant lead into a sequel is established. I did not care for this film, why would we
see a sequel. Two reasons, Robert Downey
Jr. is awesome and it made money.
Elementary my dear reader.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
