Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes (2009)

[The Mike]

That shot with the hammers has earned this movie my $10 and 3 hours of my time.

Ditto that. I'm all in.

[megladon8]

I like what Cinematical wrote about the trailer, in an article titled "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the WTF Trailer"...

At this point the thing looks like Young Sherlock Holmes meets The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vs. Van Helsing: At World's End ...

[BuffaloWilder]

This looks a lot better than I thought it would. And I've read the script.

Also, Doyle's stories were filled with this 'boy's adventure' kind of thing, and it looks like they've carried that over pretty well. Holmes and Watson kicked the hell out of people pretty regularly, so I don't see what the problem is there.

[Acapelli]

admittedly i am not that familiar with doyle's holmes, but this looks like a ton of fun

[Ezee E]

The only way I'll see a Guy Ritchie movie again is if its trailer was awesome.

This made me think of Will Smith's Wild Wild West.

Pass. Even with the Rachel McAdams factor.

[Grouchy]

This looks a lot better than I thought it would. And I've read the script.

Also, Doyle's stories were filled with this 'boy's adventure' kind of thing, and it looks like they've carried that over pretty well. Holmes and Watson kicked the hell out of people pretty regularly, so I don't see what the problem is there.

Well, they kicked the hell out of people all right... but they did it with dignity.

I'm sorry. I'm too much of a Holmes fanboy to allow this. That shit seriously hurt my eyes.

[megladon8]

This looks a lot better than I thought it would. And I've read the script.

Also, Doyle's stories were filled with this 'boy's adventure' kind of thing, and it looks like they've carried that over pretty well. Holmes and Watson kicked the hell out of people pretty regularly, so I don't see what the problem is there.

The books weren't exactly "high-flying kung fu epics" as Ritchie has described the film.

I don't want to seem hypocritical, as I've said more than once how much it pisses me off when loyal fans of a story (whether it be book, comic, game, whatever) cannot accept a differing vision from their own.

But really, I saw nothing like Sherlock Holmes in that trailer. Like Live Free or Die Hard, it looks like a generic script with a more well-known license thrown on it to make more money.

[BuffaloWilder]

The books weren't exactly "high-flying kung fu epics" as Ritchie has described the film.

This doesn't seem like one, either. There's no place in the script - that I read, and it may have changed, since then - where Holmes is back-flipping or lip-kicking, or in the trailer, for that matter. I see boxing, and some fist-fighting, but I don't see any kung fu.

From what I'm reading, what martial arts is in the film is bartitsu, which is mentioned several times in the stories.

But really, I saw nothing like Sherlock Holmes in that trailer. Like Live Free or Die Hard, it looks like a generic script with a more well-known license thrown on it to make more money.

There biggest one that really sticks out is the plot centered around a death-cult. That's a hallmark of Doyle.

[The Mike]

Back when this was announced it was being reported this was based partially on a Holmes comic book. Has anyone actually read that one, or are we all jumping to conclusions?

[megladon8]

This doesn't seem like one, either. There's no place in the script - that I read, and it may have changed, since then - where Holmes is back-flipping or lip-kicking, or in the trailer, for that matter. I see boxing, and some fist-fighting, but I don't see any kung fu.

I'm just going by what Ritchie said - what I wrote in quotations were his words describing how the film would be.

I didn't see backflips in the trailer, either, but it certainly looked like the fight scenes could end up very jumpy and with some wire-fu.

There biggest one that really sticks out is the plot centered around a death-cult. That's a hallmark of Doyle.

Indeed I caught that, but I'm just not digging the way the movie looks, from that trailer.

I wnat it to be good, I really do. I love Robert Downey Jr., I love the Sherlock Holmes stories...I hope it's better than what I see here.

I didn't see much (if any) of Holmes' trademark skills in the art of deduction on display, but I'm willing to accept that it may have just been a case of this specific trailer being cut to show off the film's action.

And that boxing match lifted right out of Snatch...that didn't sit well with me.

[BuffaloWilder]

Back when this was announced it was being reported this was based partially on a Holmes comic book. Has anyone actually read that one, or are we all jumping to conclusions?

I've never read it, but it seems to be a mishmash of various elements from every-which-where. The plot involving the death-cult is similar to the ones found in The Sign of Four and several other short stories by Doyle and other authors, although this one is less about revenge than it is - sigh, 'world domination,' basically. There's particular emphasis placed on Holmes physical prowess, which is also present in the stories.

And, on and on.

[BuffaloWilder]

I'm just going by what Ritchie said - what I wrote in quotations were his words describing how the film would be.

Now you've got me worried.

I didn't see backflips in the trailer, either, but it certainly looked like the fight scenes could end up very jumpy and with some wire-fu.

If this is present, it will redeem itself only if Holmes, after having run up a wall and punched a guy in the face, stops to light his pipe and says something witty.

Only then.

Indeed I caught that, but I'm just not digging the way the movie looks, from that trailer.

Eh, I can get with that. It looks like a Guy Ritchie movie.

I didn't see much (if any) of Holmes' trademark skills in the art of deduction on display, but I'm willing to accept that it may have just been a case of this specific trailer being cut to show off the film's action.

I spotted a little, here and there. And, it's extremely present in the screenplay, as well - though, the first time we meet Holmes, he's

[

Show Spoiler

chasing someone down in a sewer

]

so -

And that boxing match lifted right out of Snatch...that didn't sit well with me.

I kind of like it; Ritchie at least knows how to make better use of slow-motion than Snyder.

[MadMan]

Revolver was actually rock solid. I have yet to dislike a Guy Ritchie movie, but as I said before I'm avoiding Swept Away, which just looked really awful.

That trailer was not very good. Not sure if this will end up being anything but awful. I'd rather have someone making a straightforward adaption of the Holmes' tales instead.

[number8]

Back when this was announced it was being reported this was based partially on a Holmes comic book. Has anyone actually read that one, or are we all jumping to conclusions?

It was never published. Or at least, not yet. Dude made the comic solely to pitch a movie, which is an alarming trend these days.

[The Mike]

It was never published. Or at least, not yet. Dude made the comic solely to pitch a movie, which is an alarming trend these days.

Ewww.

Fuck it, I'm still in.

[lovejuice]

There biggest one that really sticks out is the plot centered around a death-cult. That's a hallmark of Doyle.

huh? can you give me an example? i can't claim to know doyle very well, but out of all the shorts and novels i have read, never once have i encounter a magic element, let alone a cult.

EDIT: i just read your above post. i don't think, the cult in the sign of four is the same as, say, the illuminati though.

[Sven]

This movie looks awesome.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I think it looks like a lot of fun. The hammer bit, and the bit of dialogue that closes out the trailer, were great. I'll check it out, so long as the buzz after release isn't abysmal.

Let it be known though, I have no faith in Ritchie, and will have low expectations.

[Wryan]

Haha, what the goddamn hell was that?

[Henry Gale]

I'm pretty sure the slo-mo fighting will be played for laughs or at least not as gimmicky as the trailer suggests. Most of the other stuff seems to be going for a lighter tone with Holmes but also a much darker one with the villain than I expected. I hope it all balances nicely in the final film. Plus it looks like they're executing somewhat familiar action in some better-than-average ways (like the building dive).

Other than that... I think it looks pretty alright, more or less what I was expecting: Old time-y Tony Stark solves mysteries. If anything, it's Downey's accent that's my only big worry here. Law looks a lot more likable than I imagined (and I realized I haven't seen him in anything in ages) and McAdams has never looked better (too bad she doesn't say a thing in the trailer).

I'll see it.

[BuffaloWilder]

Also, for anyone worrying about the boxing, it only occurs in one scene, at the beginning of the film. From what I read, anyway.

[Sycophant]

I'm happy to see others didn't think that trailer made the film look facepalmingly awful.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Were the stories this full of explosions and penis jokes?

:|

[megladon8]

Were the stories this full of explosions and penis jokes?

:|

Yeah, I don't get why the childish-ness of the humor on display in that trailer is getting such a pass here on MatchCut (hammer shot excluded, because that was kind of cute).

It seems like the type of stuff people here would be cursing vehemently.

All we needed was for Holmes to light one of his farts on fire and it could be National Lampoon's Sherlock Holmes.

[lovejuice]

meg, out of curiosity, why do you dislike it so much? since you are a comic book fan, isn't it a swell idea to super-hero-ize sherlock holmes?