Introduction
In January of 2010, a movie called Sherlock Holmes was presented to the audience and it gave a new touch to the story of the legendary detective. The film has been directed by Guy Ritchie and it has taken quite a bold stance in the way it has portrayed this character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Instead of examining him from the perspective of his mind and the methods that he used to investigate his cases, Ritchie emphasized action, the high level of content and attractive images. Consequently the flow was extremely rapid and the imagery made it an interesting detective story to watcheven for the viewers who are not acquainted with original stories about Sherlock Holmes.
It is a fact that people will remember the movie for a long time, and in this article, we’ll take a look at the details that provided impact for Sherlock Holmes (2010) including its release, filming location, soundtrack, key cast and other important contributors, trailers, and reviews to have a complete picture of what happened on the big screen.
BloggerVista | parko-solar | forbesbusinessinsider | lawsect | sitewiseapp
Release Date
Sherlock Holmes was first showed on December 25, 2009 in United States and the rest of the world before it was widely released in theaters on January 8, 2010. The film was done by the institutions Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures. It was the first of its kind since previous portrayals of Sherlock Holmes lacked action, comedic moments, and took full advantage of The Great Detective’s intelligence. The film had a positive response from the critics and was commercially successful earning more than 524 million dollars worldwide.
The popularity of Sherlock Holmes would eventually pave the way for the continuation of the story in the film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, released in 2011. The resonance of this film in cinematography contributed to the fact that Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law became legitimate critics in their genre of Holmes and Watson respectively.
Film Location
It would be unjust to deny that the existence of this location gives a particular weight to the motion picture, and Sherlock Holmes (2010) is no exception to this premise as it features stunning locations that reflect the tension and gripping style present in Victorian England. Quite a fair deal of the film’s scens was shot in and near the center of the city, making use of the Tower, the chaotic pavements, as well as the River Thames. The filming at different places in London also resulted in authenticity of the history portrayed in the movie such as British place marking.
But the geographical scope of the film went far beyond the capital. The cast and crew solved many filming locations, including:
- London: The film include the lifework shots with the very physique of the great historical places including the scenes whereby Holmes was doing some of his thrilling investigations.
- Worcestershire: The graphic content of the film was enhanced in the Worcestershire countryside where much of the pivotal action took place which was some of the wonderfully aesthetic parts.
- Budapest, Hungary: Parts of the east appeared where the bulk of the action locations were set up within the lens of several regions in the Hungarian capital.
The surroundings contributed to the overall feel and mood, creating an illusion that is both recognizable yet strange for Sherlock Holmes, complete with a sea of gated alleys, towering structures, as well as misty pathways
Song and Soundtrack
The theme music for Sherlock Holmes was done by Hans Zimmer who is one of the well known film composers in the present world. The soundtrack of the movie was among the best experienced by the audience. The music he produced combines a rock influence with an orchestral foundation which contributes greatly to the more action packed moments of the movie, for that is how it is supposed to be.
From the songs in the soundtrack, ‘Discombobulate’ is one of the standout numbers and it is a highly exciting and short composition which provides a quick pace for the fast action sequences in the movie. He added Celtic themes and industrial overtones to his music, which suited London’s industrial atmosphere perfectly, the location of the film. The music not only served action purposes but also enhanced emotion in the more gentle and softer parts of the motion picture.
Zimmer had previously scored other films prior to this and the moment the film hit the market its score drew a lot of praise from the audience and critics alike, and rightly so, as it contributed significantly to the film’s overall rating.
Director
It’s surprising that last month it was announced that Guy Ritchie would be featuring in the new Sherlock Holmes movie as his reputation for portrayal of criminals is well known so naturally, this created a lot of excite and skepticism amongst Holmes fans. You’d only have to watch Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, or Snatch to appreciate the audacious style he brings to each piece.
Imagine how he combined humor with something as disparate as Sherlock Holmes and how the final cut turned out to be a total spectacle. Quite obviously, the interesting parts of the film have to be the scenes with Sherlock inventing new methods of tackling the antagonists and his original approach to the great detective character itself.
Holmes’ character is not the only one that appears altered. Instead of cold detective, Ritchie brings forth a more energetic portrayal of Holmes which attracts people towards him for his charismatic yet reckless approach. These elements were certainly highlighted considering the action scenes spanning around his quirky relates to Dr Watson.
The film also has a more modern style, as Ritchie employs quick cut editing, slow-motion scenes and intricate set designs to achieve the aesthetic without losing sight of the historical aspects of the narrative.
Producer
The producers of Sherlock Holmes were Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram and Susan Downey. Joel Silver is a well-respected Hollywood producer who worked on famous action films like The Matrix trilogy, Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. This support proved to be critical as Sheriff Holmes was guaranteed to have an action component which made the film successful.
Sabu, a constant partner of Guy Ritchie, voiced his intentions to rejuvenate the failed Sherlock Holmes franchise from a new angle and offered the idea which involved intermingling action with the detective genre. He was the one who determined the mood of the film because it was Wigram who wished the film to be more action oriented but still remain in the context of Sherlock.
An equally important factor that contributed to the making of the movie was Susan Downey, the producer and wife of Robert Downey Jr. With her involvement, it was clear that the project would be character driven, although it has a lot of actions.
Cast
The movie is supplemented by the equally talented audience with Robert Downey Jr. in the character of Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law in the character of Dr. John Watson.
- Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes: Robert Downey Jr is a performer known for many many acclaimed roles and changing this perspective, though, it was not the performance that fans of the character are used to. Instead of a frivolous, unfeeling, and passive intellectual investigator, Downey made his hero weird, energetic and very engaging. Downey transformed the character, bringing a side of weakness and humor to this iconic role.
- Jude Law as Dr. John Watson: From Dr. Watson in question, it is Jude Law who was perhaps the film performance to be most proud of. Wrights Watson is loyal and intelligent and is physically capable of performing other tasks and takes on the role of a composed man in the way of Holmes’s madness. One of the film’s most appealing features is the interplay between these two actors, as their partnership looks credible and is very entertaining to watch.
- Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler: Irene Adler, who has a relationship with Holmes, seeks out her target with intricate disguises—this role is also played by Rachel McAdams. Though she is not the main star in this section of the film, McAdams does infuse the character with an enigmatic charm. In addition, the bonds with Downey’s Holmes give more depth to the emotional line of the story.
- Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood: Mark Strong portrays the villain of the film, Lord Blackwood, a dark and sinister character who engages in occult practices. Strong’s performance is chilling and adds an element of danger and tension to the film.
- Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade: Eddie Marsan plays Inspector Lestrade, the Scotland Yard detective who is often skeptical of Holmes’ unconventional methods. Marsan’s portrayal brings humor and a touch of frustration to the character, providing a foil to Holmes’ brilliance.
Trailer
The trailer does the work of building up the self entitled. Sherlock Holmes in a great way as it includes action, dialogues and dramatic roles. With suspense, we see the interaction of pleasant head- turmoils for the viewers, Watson’s arguments with Holmes and high-scale secrets. The editing was cut very tight with extreme music in the trailer too making people eager for the film.
The style of the trailer matched that of the film, using plenty of cut action shots, slow shots and quite a brute feel to it. It complimented the trailer as well the love between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law another a strong point of the film.
Reviews
Sherlock Holmes after its launching received a number of good reviews spanning from the critic to the fans as well. Their major focus remained on Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law stating they were a center point of attraction for the film.
Positive Reviews:
The critics, many of whom were impressed by the restiveness and nontraditionality of the direction of the feature, also note that Ritchie did not just fill in the film with action, but also maintained a high level of detective genre. It is the love-hate relationship of two actors – Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law which many identify as one of the more successful elements of the film as it provided a fair amount of wit as well as emotion.
Criticism:
Some critics are not very happy with the adaptation of the character of Holmes in the film, believing that ‘too action oriented’ approach has detracted the attention away from Holmes the man, the intellect. Complaints were raised over the character of Lord Blackwood, with some reviews stating that the villain was too stereotypical, with nothing but clich ‘ as his motive.
There was no contradiction about the opinion of the audience, evaluation was above average, the movie is now being considered quite an entertaining and successful redefining of the genre.
Foodmake | casinoplayinfo | thecryptolark | TechTechnoGear | investorsocial
Conclusion
Sherlock Holmes (2010) proved to be original and interesting retelling of the well-known stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s. In particular, Ritchie’s directing and acting performances of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law designed a new version of well-known characters – detective and his assistant. Thanks to this character being action-oriented, wittily updated dialogues, irresistible charm of the settings, and vision of the overall picture buried in many layers – the classic detective gained any modernizations in Sherlock Holmes that make it appealing to contemporary audiences.
It would be too ideal of a scenario for the diehard fans of Sherlock Holmes but this scenario did come to pass as the film was able to gain significant box office returns. The positive reviews from critics followed suit as well as audiences gravitating towards the second part of the installment. It does not matter whether you have read the books in order or whether you picked them up for the first time, the Sherlock Holmes (2010) franchise is undoubtedly one of the best if not the best re-imagining of this character ever.