thoughts on the new Sherlock Holmes movie

[fatima]

Finally got a chance to go see this now that I am back in America.

1. The plot is weird. Not all that Conan Doyle-like due to too much action and not quite enough mystery+deduction. On the other hand, the overall feel of the movie is stylish.
   
   
2. Lord Blackwood eerily reminds me of Al Pacino in Godfather.
   
   
3. They totally revamped the Irene Adler character for the sake of onscreen romance, and I do not like it. -_- (That said, I think Rachael McAdams was good for the role.) It goes hand in hand with the emotionalizing-Holmes thing (see below).
   
   
4. I am not sure I like what they did to Holmes. He's much, much more human and more expressively emotional now and I'm just...having some trouble with that.
   
   
5. I do LOVE what they did to Watson though. (Oddly enough, I did not find the beard on Jude Law an issue.) Watson's totally, ass-kickingly awesome now. And toppish, to add to it. ("Be gentle with me, Watson!"...I mean...SRSLY PEOPLE? SRSLY?)

In conclusion: Holmes is CLEARLY gay for Watson, who tragically does not realize what they have is not bromance.

When I get some time, I might start looking into fanfics for this.....

Comments

[snowlight.livejournal.com]

That's the thing though, in the book canon (and good Lord I never thought I'd be one of THOSE people who talk about book canon while discussing a movie adaptation), there is utterly NOTHING sexual about Irene Adler whereas Holmes is concerned. Zero. Nada. Zill. It was vehemently emphasized that Holmes felt nothing for her except for respect, and the same is true vice versa.

One of the things I loved best about Irene Adler as a character was how Conan Doyle wrote her without commenting on her gender—she was just such a purely kickass character who did not end up romantically linked with the male lead in any way, shape, or form. She existed quite independently of Holmes, who had an abiding respect for her.

And that's another thing which didn't sit right with me about Irene/Holmes interaction in the movie—how Holmes sticked around with her and her little games. It was a part of the...humanization of Holmes, I suppose; but still, the Holmes I am familiar with would never put up with such flighty diversions (waking up naked and handcuffed to a bed? really? REALLY?), not to mention that Irene would never deign him an interest in that way, period.

Yet, I do admit that movie!Holmes is so much easier to slash precisely because of the same humanization, because he no longer wears the aura of invincibility and infallibility. He actually needs people (namely Watson) now—and I have to say, I never quite got that feeling from the books. A part of that is because movie!Watson is so much more awesome than book!Watson, but man...

[spookyfbi.livejournal.com]

But he only woke up naked like that because she drugged him. I didn't get any sexual/romantic interest on Holmes' end from the movie either. And I was looking for it!

[snowlight.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know what you mean, but it goes back to my whole "WTF this should have never have happened in the first place" train of thought. I don't like how the movie tried to play with a Holmes/Irene relationship (of whatever sort) because in my opinion there should be none based on the books.

Which is kinda silly, because the movie is canon enough for the movieverse fanfictions.