Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars

Watching Jonathan Pryce in his first scene as Sherlock Holmes, I couldn't help but be reminded of watching Christopher Eccleston as the lead in another icon of British fiction Doctor Who. Like Eccleston as the good Doctor, Pryce comes across as simultaneously off-putting and appealing. In that respect, he is quite simply an ideal Sherlock Holmes. You sense the the sharp mind that makes him the best detective ever and also that other-ness which means he will never come off as being quite normal.

Though much of the action is given over to the Baker Street Irregulars, Pryce's Holmes remains the focus of this story because it's the Irregulars efforts to clear his name when he's arrested for murder that drive the story. Even when Holmes is under house-arrest in his rooms at 221-B Baker Street, you can sense the wheels turning in his mind as he directs his foot-soldiers in order to solve a mystery with a deeply personal dimension for Holmes. Without spoiling anything, it's a twist that will probably be most appreciated by those with some background in the Holmes stories but such background is not essential.

Above all, though, this is meant to be a fun story, an enjoyable mystery/adventure story with enough danger to keep things interesting without getting too dark. This latter point is probably a function of having been produced for a family viewing slot in Britain. The whole cast does a good job, and it's especially nice to see one of Britain's best character actors Bill Patterson paired with Pryce in the equally iconic role of Doctor Watson.

I won't say this is the best Sherlock Holmes story I've ever seen or heard (personally I'm a fan of John Gielgud's run as Holmes on the radio from the 1950s), but Pryce is certainly one of the best Sherlock Holmes. I truly hope that this production is the first of many for him.

While this Sherlock story will probably appeal to families with older kids, the hardcore Sherlock fan will be appalled. As mentioned in other reviews, the villainess shares the name of a beloved character from the Sherlock stories, but none of her marvelous traits. Furthermore, Jonathan Pryce, while a fine actor, seems very out of character for Sherlock, seeming much too like a sweet older gentleman than the proud, somewhat aloof Holmes.

The action focuses on the Irregulars and the story seems to try to pander to a young audience with this crew. Unfortunately, for the first half of the story, I found it difficult to have much interest in them. By the second half, as I accepted the movie for what it was, I did find some humor and charm in it.

As mentioned by others, there are some really good lines. There's also some really intriguing camera work that reminded me of some of the more experimental moments in the Granada series (like in the Devil's Foot, for instance) and a good soundtrack.

When I was able to pretend it wasn't supposed to be a Sherlock Holmes story, I enjoyed it as much as I'd enjoy most movies geared towards a tween audience. But I don't intend to ever watch it again.

Terrible plot that deviates incredibly from the Canon. Nonsensical. Irene Adler is "the woman", not a burglar. Definitely not a Napoleon (Josephine) of crime.

As for the Irregulars, not a Wiggins in sight. Cleanest bunch of late Victorian/early Edwardian street urchins ever seen. Nice that diversity is exhibited (at least in the presence of a Chinese Irregular called Tea Leaf, who has a backstory that is about 100 years prescient for political correctness -- too bad they have to call the character Tea Leaf -- all the Anglos have real names).

If you have $20 and two hours to kill with low expectations, this is for you.