I am the one without the magnifying glass. |
Whoa!
There’s
a bit of snark going around cyberspace regarding the animated film Sherlock Gnomes. I never argue taste, especially
when it comes to books, food, adult beverages – and movies. But I thoroughly
enjoyed the movie.
It
wasn’t exactly the Canon, but Gnomeo and
Juliet wasn’t Shakespeare either. I knew what I signed on for when I walked
into the theater. After all, it is a movie about garden gnomes.
The
filmmakers clearly have more than a passing knowledge of the source material. Doyle’s
Doll Museum was an easy nod to a certain writer, but the Wisteria Lodge florist
and the Sherrinford Moving van were delightful Easter eggs served up by
somebody who knew a thing or two.
Although
Moriarty comes straight from BBC Sherlock
and the Holmes-Irene relationship is highly uncanonical, the character of Holmes
is true to the original. The Great Detective, voiced by Johnny Depp, is
brilliant, arrogant, utterly rational on the surface but with emotions beneath.
He even takes Watson for granted as in the stories! (“Come at once if convenient – if inconvenient, come all the
same” is not the demand of a man who realizes that his Boswell has a life.)
The storyline
contains surprises, at least to me, even after I thought I had it all figured out.
One of those surprises is that Sherlock Gnomes
is ultimately a “message movie.” The message is heavy-handed so that kids won’t
miss it, but it’s a good message.
There’s
also some nice music by the executive producer, a fellow named Elton John.
I think
Sherlock Gnomes is very good at being
what it is – a fun take on some old friends. If that doesn’t appeal to you, you
might want to skip it.
In my Easter basket! |
I look forward to seeing it when I have the time, as well as adding the DVD to my collection, along with other related oddities already there, such as the Veggie Tales Holmes film.
ReplyDeleteOn the opposite side of the spectrum, did you see the recent "Family Guy" Holmes episode? It didn't have a message, heavy-handed or otherwise, and it isn't for kids, but the writers, director, and animators clearly knew some Canon, and there were lots of neat Easter Eggs.
I did not - but I keep hearing about it!
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