Forget the Past!

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2010)

Books should not be compared to movies. Movie versions should not be compared to each other. If you are a true artist, you always put your stamp on your production. The stories of Arthur Conan Doyle are masterpieces and they have had their time. If one is willing to come up with a new angle using the characters as perceived by the public, more power to him. There have been hundreds of pastiches done with the Holmes canon. Anyway, the film before us uses a preposterous plot that has angered the purists. It's probably some of the same people who died a little each day after Lord of the Rings and Spiderman came out. This film is a joyful mess in the tradition of Indian Jones. The two principles, Holmes and Watson grow on us and take us on a merry ride through London into some pretty weird stuff. It doesn't matter what has been done before, just enjoy the ride and look to the future. But don't forget the wonderful efforts of Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett. They can, indeed, coexist.