Sherlock Holmes (2009) Movie Review

Sherlock Holmes is a prolific detective in Victorian London. He and his partner, John Watson, a military doctor, encounter a ritual in which a young girl is about to commit suicide. The detective stops the ritual and arrests the sorcerer. The sorcerer, named Lord Blackwood is hanged and pronounced dead. When his tomb is broken from the inside, Sherlock Holmes pronounces the game afoot. We have our movie.

The first thing that attacks your eardrums in the movie is the amazing soundtrack. Not only is it fantastic to listen to but it also fits the mood of every scene perfectly. Take the action sequences in the movie for example; in these scenes the music is fast paced and sounds as if some sort of folk band is singing behind it, making the action seem more intense and it just made me smile.

I happen to encounter yet a third movie based on pre-existing source material. Luckily, this movie stays immaculately true to this source material. Minute details from the books like Holmes placing his hands together when in deep thought and some beautiful quotes that are astoundingly natural and make the dialogue seem far more contemporary. I have to admit, when reading the books and coming across some familiar Holmesian phrases, I did feel rather ecstatic.

The one bad thing I can see about this movie is Rachel McAdams’ portrayal of Irene Adler. She anaesthetised Holmes and yet her motives are never made clear. It is true that she says that Moriarty made her but there is no true reason. She doesn’t say it’s money and she doesn’t say it’s blackmail, so why she follow Moriarty’s orders. It was rather unclear.

This reincarnation of the world famous super-sleuth stays true the fantastic source material and has very few flaws to mention. It is paced incredibly well and I feel is one of the most underrated films of the last five years. I give Sherlock Holmes a 9/10 – Almost Perfect

Have you seen ‘Sherlock Holmes’? If you have, let me know what you thought of it by leaving a comment on this review. Perhaps even suggest a movie for me to review next.