Tuesday, January 05, 2010

No Shit Sherlock!

Wouldn't you know, I actually have a thing for doctors.

Dr John Watson in particular.


Far from the portly, fumbling shlock of previous incarnations, the latest Sherlock Holmes adaptation has the good doctor re-imagined as a sleek, scholarly army veteran with shades of the pretty boy. All very Jude Law. Supposedly a closer match to the loyal sidekick dreamt up by in Arthur Conan Doyle's detective novels. Since the last time I picked up his novels had to be back in lower secondary, I can only simply nod and agree since I can barely recall the parts that I read.

While his more famous titular counterpart, the crime-solving detective Sherlock Holmes, has evolved into a modern bohemian character, who dresses more like an artist or a poet. Played by Robert Downey Jr with a raffish insouciance, he's more Toulouse-Lautrec in a fedora than the quintessential venerable Victorian gentleman in a deerstalker.

And oh yeah, the newly-violent gym-toned Sherlock throws a helluva lot more punches. After all, what's a Guy Ritchie movie without a coupla ballsy punch-em-ups? Pity we never got his buddy Watson stripped down to his boxers!

praise
Watson : How long are you gonna stare at the watch?

With all that sweaty, testosterone-y masculinity on avid display, is it any surprise that I found Sherlock had far more chemistry with his wingman Watson rather than the prerequisite femme fatale adventuress, Irene Adler. No doubt an intentional homoerotic slant to annoy the traditional purists.

The sad attempts to toss Adler together with Holmes to confirm his heterosexuality only made me hate her more - especially since Watson had less screen time whenever the femme fatale strutted across the screen in her Victorian hoops. Come on, who doesn't want to see Jude Law in a dapper gray suit with a top hat. And his solid, dignified presence provides the perfect counterfoil for the insanely manic posturings of Downey's Holmes.

Holmes? I'd want to tie the manic-depressive freak down and dope him up just to have him shut up. Sexy? Please, I don't go for disheveled raving psychos.
Watson? I'd want to tie him down and do all sorts of wickedly indecent things to his naked body.

Despite having low expectations for the movie, I found myself pleasantly surprised with the movie. So make sure you stay - even till the end for the beautiful end credits with the preceding movie stills freeze-framed to recall the original magazine illustrations.

6 comments:

Ed said...

i was supposed to watch this yesterday!

but had to cancel due to unforseen circumstances~ :(

since it's a good review...maybe this weekend then.

Petie said...

Come on Paul, deerstalker is not Doyle's idea. He never actually have Holmes wear that hat, ever. It was the illustrator of the time.

I must say though that I find the villain has more charisma and presence on screen :P

Overall it was very enjoyable for me, although the whole movie looks a bit dull (as in brightness) in the theater I went... Maybe it just that theater...

Unknown said...

Wow...I love Robert. He is so darn sexy!

You have a thing for doctors huh? ME TOO! lol

hugs,
shakira

Mr.D said...

Ahhhh totally agree.

But hei hands off Watson! He's mine!

Legolas said...

The person who holds the copyright to Doyle's works in US threatened to stop the production of Sherlock Holmes 2 because Holmes was being too close to Watson and therefore a homosexuality possibility.

savante said...

Quite nice actually, Ed. Make sure you don't miss it.

Perhaps they dulled down the colours a bit too, petie.

Well some doctors are sexy, shakira :)

Learn to share, darren!

Wonder who holds the copyright in US, leggy!

P