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Rating:  - an overlooked spielberg classic from the 80's........
this was the VERY FIRST film to use computer animation, in this
case, a murderous stained glass soldier.
it was up against "cocoon", which won the oscar for visual f/x that year [1985], and the 3rd was "return to oz".
this is a "what if" tale of a young version of both friends.
problem is critics AND viewers thought it resembled "indy jones/temple of doom" too much, especially in the 2nd half.
but the first hour is very entertaining!! one of barry levinson's better movies of his career as director.
"holmes" was released opposite "color purple" around christmas and failed to find an audience. but this film fantasy is great for kids who like adventure. definately one of the better spielberg films in his collection, sadly overlooked.
Rating:  - The game's afoot!
Sherlock Holmes is one of the best known detectives in the world -- so famous in fact, that 221B Baker Street in London continues to get mail addressed to this fictional character almost a century after he would have died had he been a real person. There are groups of people -- Sherlockians and Holmesians, the distinction between which is rather subtle -- who delight in retelling the tales; it has become somewhat traditional to try to fill in the gaps, things left out of the 'canonical' stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- 56 short stories and 4 novels. The official tales allude to happenings beyond them -- some authors take up the point there, and others create fanciful tales altogether. These have been made into films, television programmes and radio programmes for most of the history of their publication.
This film, 'Young Sherlock Holmes', derives from the mid-1980s film of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Barry Levinson as an homage to Holmes and Holmes fans. The screenplay, written by Chris Columbus, was adapted into novel form by Alan Arnold. This story fills in the gaps of Holmes' childhood and education.
There are many wonderful pieces here -- it breaks with the canon in that it introduces Holmes (then 16 years old) and Watson as school mates at a private school. Holmes is struggling to learn to play the violin (a canonical piece), and already displays prodigious powers of observation and deduction. He is a loner for the most part, a bit of trouble with authorities and often underestimated. Lestrade is also introduced here, as a junior policeman.
The game is afoot in short order when Holmes' favourite, highly-eccentric professor dies mysteriously; this death mirrors in a fashion several other deaths, which leads Holmes and his new sidekick Watson on a merry chase, along with Elizabeth (this early relationship and its outcome is meant to explain the later absence of women in Holmes' life). The headmaster is generally supportive of Holmes, but is his support all that it seems?
The chase leads Holmes through the London underworld he will later come to know very well, tracking down a mysterious cult with Egyptian origins. Arnold's researching into the Egyptian lore, as well as details about London and Holmesian detail is impressive. Arnold holds Holmes as an ideal, stating in an author's epilogue that Holmes is as much the chivalric medieval knight as a Victorian and Edwardian gentleman.
This is a mystery very much in the spirit of Conan Doyle. The clues are there -- one merely needs to follow them to a logical conclusion. Some purists may balk, but this is an intriguing addition to the body of post-Conan Doyle literature, a worthy pastiche.
The lead is played by Nicholas Rowe, an actor deserving of more recognition. Alan Cox plays John Watson - had the Harry Potter stories come about twenty years earlier, he might well have been cast in that role. Sophie Ward plays the love interest for Holmes - Holmes is noted in the stories for not being particularly amorous of nature, and this story attempts to explain that. Anthony Higgins is the villain (do be sure to see the final bonus scene after the credits for the transformation of the villain), assisted by Susan Fleetwood as his 'moll' of sorts. Rounding out the cast is Freddie Jones as Cragwitch and Nigel Stock as Waxflatter, an eccentric (possibly mad) scientist/academic who is friends with Holmes.
The CGI graphics stand up with to time - the walking stained-glass window knight is reminiscent of the knight in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. The sets, costumes and other effects of the film are really well tended, as is the care taken to add elements faithful to the original stories of Holmes.
Rating: - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Would Be Proud
Even though Arthur Conan Doyle didn't write this, I think he would be quite proud. I am a big Sherlock Holmes fan and love this film. I was in junior high when it came out and originally saw it in the theater (twice). Now, at the age of 33, I still find it very enjoyable to watch. It does a neat job of depicting Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (before he bacame a doctor) as young men attending a boarding school together. The acting, directing, costume design, and set design are all excellent. And it has a great mystery/adventure that will appeal to both kids and adults.
Rating: - A 'What If' Story ...
This is one of the very few non cannon Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson movies I like out there. I found it very imaginative and a good beginning for kids. This is a more what could have happened, if John and Sherlock had meat each other in their younger years.
Rating: - An Underrated Classic
Young Sherlock Holmes is an overlooked gem. The story focuses on the school days of Watson and Holmes. Watson is transfered to a new school where he meets the young Holmes. Wuickly they become involved in a case. It appears that a mysterious cloaked figure is poisoning victims with a blowpipe. Once poisoned, the victims suffer terrible hallucinations and commit suicide. Unfortunately, one of the victims is Holmes' own mentor at school. Can they find out who did it?
The effects are a little cheesy and they show their age, but there are a few good ones. The hallucinations are really creepy and are very well done. One of the freakiest is when Watson is attacked by the very pastries that he loves. If you only see this scene, it's worth the price of this DVD. Overall, the tone is dark, so it is very watchable even though it's a children's movie. As for the actors, they do a good job, especially the kid playing the role of Watson. This one is really worth checking out.
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