The Garden Gnome Sleuth

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!