caffienekitty (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
caffienekitty) wrote2010-06-06 01:25 am
caffienekitty) wrote2010-06-06 01:25 am
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Reaction: Sherlock Holmes movie
Finally watched Sherlock Holmes. Short reaction.
One thing most of you probably don't know about me is that I've been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since, ooo, maybe age 8? Read the books, watched most of the iterations and variations on film and TV (Jeremy Brett rocks.) Haven't re-read or watched anything for a long time, but I was nervous that this film would get it wrong somehow.
It's awesome. Better than awesome. I love the way they interpreted Irene Adler and integrated her. Love that even though it seems like magic is at work, all along it's been science and mysticism and fear. Love the hints of steampunk, (my god the toolkit,) love the bond between Holmes and Watson, love the depth of all the background detail of Victorian England, just gorgeous. (Shallowly and costume-wise, the plethora of long-coats was nice too, and Blackpool's leather coat? Ooo. *grabby hands*) The reveal of Moriarty at the end made me cheer, as did the reference to Holmes' brother Mycroft.
And holy crap Lestrade!! First the apparent 'I'm betraying Holmes to the Order' then the actual 'I'm betraying Blackpool and helping Holmes' and both times I was thrilled. Lestrade and by extension the Yard and the police in most interpretations is treated as a joke. It was wonderful to get him as an ally, and one with more to him than as a foil for derision.
My only criticism is Robert Downey Jr. isn't British, but he can't help that. His accent sometimes was... unique. XD Aside from that, he was very much the more visceral Sherlock Holmes found in some of the books. Loved the information overload sense from when he was alone in public at the restaurant, the whole 'cannot shut off his mind' thing.
Very cool movie. Will watch again, and any sequels.
Now. It's been out for a while, there's got to be fic, right? Can anyone recommend some? I really want to see Holmes and Watson work with Torchwood. Or the Tenth Doctor. Among many other things.
ETA (09-18-10): POST-SHERLOCK BBC Re-watching. Dear god this movie doesn't hold up by comparison to the BBC series.
When re-watching this movie after having watched the Sherlock BBC series, the only characters that really held up for me were Jude Law's Watson and that one Constable with the 'my wife's a chambermaid' line. Most of the rest of them seemed to be operating in pantomime and humoring this random person who'd shown up claiming to be Sherlock until the real one turned up again. I can now see how weird and awkward the whole Irene/Sherlock thing is, and the whole action movie milieu left me cold this time.
Here's why I think that is. The BBC series got it right. The heart of it. The Ritchie movies are focussed, as most Hollywood productions, on the shiny bits and the surface and what they think the audience wants. They've drowned it all in CGI crinoline. They made Holmes an action hero, which by reading the original books he sort of is, but they've made him an American action hero, no matter what accent RDJ is wandering through at the time.
RDJ isn't a Holmes. Jude Law, though? He's a Watson. He's got the heart of it, and is a Watson several years down the road, frustrated by the situation and wanting to move on with his life. He rings true. RDJ is at best a pantomime Holmes, with the 'wacky' turned up because Hollywood thinks that's what audiences want.
All this is of course, just my opinion. I'll still watch further Ritchie movies, on DVD, but to me the BBC Sherlock is closer to true than Ritchie will ever be.
One thing most of you probably don't know about me is that I've been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since, ooo, maybe age 8? Read the books, watched most of the iterations and variations on film and TV (Jeremy Brett rocks.) Haven't re-read or watched anything for a long time, but I was nervous that this film would get it wrong somehow.
It's awesome. Better than awesome. I love the way they interpreted Irene Adler and integrated her. Love that even though it seems like magic is at work, all along it's been science and mysticism and fear. Love the hints of steampunk, (my god the toolkit,) love the bond between Holmes and Watson, love the depth of all the background detail of Victorian England, just gorgeous. (Shallowly and costume-wise, the plethora of long-coats was nice too, and Blackpool's leather coat? Ooo. *grabby hands*) The reveal of Moriarty at the end made me cheer, as did the reference to Holmes' brother Mycroft.
And holy crap Lestrade!! First the apparent 'I'm betraying Holmes to the Order' then the actual 'I'm betraying Blackpool and helping Holmes' and both times I was thrilled. Lestrade and by extension the Yard and the police in most interpretations is treated as a joke. It was wonderful to get him as an ally, and one with more to him than as a foil for derision.
My only criticism is Robert Downey Jr. isn't British, but he can't help that. His accent sometimes was... unique. XD Aside from that, he was very much the more visceral Sherlock Holmes found in some of the books. Loved the information overload sense from when he was alone in public at the restaurant, the whole 'cannot shut off his mind' thing.
Very cool movie. Will watch again, and any sequels.
Now. It's been out for a while, there's got to be fic, right? Can anyone recommend some? I really want to see Holmes and Watson work with Torchwood. Or the Tenth Doctor. Among many other things.
ETA (09-18-10): POST-SHERLOCK BBC Re-watching. Dear god this movie doesn't hold up by comparison to the BBC series.
When re-watching this movie after having watched the Sherlock BBC series, the only characters that really held up for me were Jude Law's Watson and that one Constable with the 'my wife's a chambermaid' line. Most of the rest of them seemed to be operating in pantomime and humoring this random person who'd shown up claiming to be Sherlock until the real one turned up again. I can now see how weird and awkward the whole Irene/Sherlock thing is, and the whole action movie milieu left me cold this time.
Here's why I think that is. The BBC series got it right. The heart of it. The Ritchie movies are focussed, as most Hollywood productions, on the shiny bits and the surface and what they think the audience wants. They've drowned it all in CGI crinoline. They made Holmes an action hero, which by reading the original books he sort of is, but they've made him an American action hero, no matter what accent RDJ is wandering through at the time.
RDJ isn't a Holmes. Jude Law, though? He's a Watson. He's got the heart of it, and is a Watson several years down the road, frustrated by the situation and wanting to move on with his life. He rings true. RDJ is at best a pantomime Holmes, with the 'wacky' turned up because Hollywood thinks that's what audiences want.
All this is of course, just my opinion. I'll still watch further Ritchie movies, on DVD, but to me the BBC Sherlock is closer to true than Ritchie will ever be.
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Adventure of the Blue Box by Waid
The real reason Holmes didn't come straight home after the Final Problem? A certain Time Lord still can't land the TARDIS properly...
http://w-a-i-d.livejournal.com/6432.html
I still have not seen the movie. I need to. Have you seen the Granada series with Jeremy Brett?
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I still have not seen the movie. I need to. Have you seen the Granada series with Jeremy Brett?
Yep, hence the "Jeremy Brett rocks" in the post, but you probably didn't see that if you're avoiding movie spoilers. :-)
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Maybe they're just doing some extra shooting?
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I'll have to check those authors out. Thanks for the recs!
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I'm not avoiding movie spoilers because I wanted to know if it was worth watching. Now I do want to go see it, I just haven't had a chance. Maybe I should rent the thing at the library.
Glad you liked the fic, and I just realized that I didn't rec it on a few Dr who groups I'm on....
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Y'know, like where Holmes keeps grabbing Watson's hand, or that bit in the beginning of one story where they go for a walk in the park, arm in arm.
One of our teachers caught us girls giggling and had to inform us that a Victorian/Edwardian audience wouldn't have seen that stuff the same way as girls who grew up in the 80s watching Gay Pride parades.
Yes, I discovered I liked slashy subtext when I was 12 years old reading Sherlock Holmes. lol
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I also really liked the dynamic between the two in this movie. There was an equality and brotherhood of sorts there that's lacking in most versions.
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Did run into one history website that mentioned the Afghans sometimes couldn't always get lead for their bullets, so they used whatever scrap metal was at hand. So sometimes the bullets were soft and had a tendency to mushroom when hitting someone. (It's amazing that anyone could survive such a hit back when there was no such thing as modern medical care with blood transfusions and the like.)
Which led to another SH fan theorizing that maybe Watson wasn't hit twice, but once by the same bullet. It could have split in mid-air, thus hitting him in more than one place.
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And Watson has always been my fave. Ever notice that canon!Holmes is very rude? Watson is so much more polite. I really never cared for Holmes until I saw Jeremy Brett play him.
Canon Watson survived a very bloody war and very bad injury at a time when medical was mostly "in God's hands". No penicillin, no blood transfusions, and doctors weren't very big on keeping clean.
Right now I can't even remember the hospital doctor who noticed that women tended by midwives usually didn't develop childbirth fever at the same rate as those attended by doctors. He did notice that the midwives were big on washing and boiling stuff. So he decided to have his doctors wash their hands in a 1% bleach solution. The sudden drop in the death toll was really noticed. That's sort of how the docs realized that they were passing some sort of illness. (I think they realized they were passing the illness from the autopsy dead to the living.)
And warfare then was extremely bloody. Maiwand was a really bad battle. Plus commanders were using battle tactics that should have been discarded. Rifles were shooting a lot farther then, but soldiers were still standing at each other across a field and firing. I've often heard that this was the main reason the Civil War had such a huge death toll.
And commanders like Field Marshall Haig were still trying to use such tactics in WWI. Ergh. Military History magazine had an article on Haig. They called him the worst General.
Anyway, I'm wandering... I've always thought even canon Watson was a lot more capable than he let on. (Of course Watson could have been his own worst critic.) And Hollywood has a tendency to usually 'buffoon' Watson. It's kinda' why I was cautious about the new movie.
Have you ever heard of this book?
Maiwand: The Last Stand of the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment Afghanistan, 1880 by Richard J. Stacpoole-Ryding
Get this, Stacpoole-Ryding is a Watson fanboy. Made me squee when I saw that in the author notes.
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Bunny keeps mention what a wonderful lovely couple John Watson and Martha Jones would make. Of course Watson would just fall in love with very independent woman. (Bunny reminds me about Mary Morstan who was very independent for a Victorian woman.) And of course Martha would have no problem sharing Watson with Holmes, she might threaten on Holmes on what she'll do to him if he hurts Watson.
(Bunny's image of Martha threatening Holmes had me laughing.)
Sigh... darned bunny won't leave me alone.
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Most recent sample
http://sadynax.livejournal.com/8012.html
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Vows Made In Storms by Protector of the Gray Fortress
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4090135/1/
The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland. Another joint fic by KCS and Protector of the Gray Fortress.
The Covenant and the Oath by Pompey
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4295275/1/The_Covenant_and_the_Oath
AU sequel to "On Afghanistan's Plains" -- as if "Young British Soldier" never happened. An elderly doctor from Watson's past asks Holmes to investigate the disturbing harassment of former army doctors. Complete.
Concerning Pompey's fics, I would also rec "On Afghanistan's Plains" which is about Watson before he gets sent back to England. Along with "Things that Never Happened to Sherlock Holmes", and "The Curious Contents of the Baker St Butter Dish" which is way too funny. Watson does not take finding Holmes' experiment in the butter very well.
One of Their Own by Pompey
Examining the relationship between Dr. Watson and the Yard after a case hits particularly close to home. Part of the 221B challenge. Complete.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4206345/1/
I would recommend everything by Aragonite, and you have to get "You Buy Bones."
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1460858/aragonite
Aragonite does a wonderful Lestrade. I love Argonite's version of the Second Stain. Lestrade realizes there's quite a bit more going on than he's told. As in Whitehall stuff and he doesn't want to get involved. I also love Lestrade trying to explain to Holmes about widows having a lowered resistance to romantic leaisions(sp?) and Holmes not quite getting it. lol!
I loved "You Buy Bones." It's mostly Watson and the Yard dealing with a bone collector. Said bone collector has killed people for their unusual bones. Watson sort of sets himself up as bait, because the bone collector would want a Jezail bullet survivor.
Bartimus Crotchety is also a good fic writer
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1574624/Bartimus_Crotchety
And Crotchety is a Watson fan.
Chewing Gum has this wonderful AU...
What Words Fail Of
When a candidate for prime minister is found dead in a tent of a traveling carnival, Holmes is summoned to avoid political unrest. Little does he know that the waters run deeper than anyone thinks. Joint fic with KCS.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4091843/1/What_Words_Fail_Of
Chewing Gum does some wonderful drabble stuff.
PhD
“I’m a doctor, not a...” Watson attended medical school to become a doctor, and yet sometimes he wonders if others even know he is one... Largely random drabbles.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4265750/1/PhD
Chewing Gum also has an AU where Mycroft somehow got sucked into marriage. That series has a lot of brotherly interaction between Sherlock and Mycroft. (They're so juvenile sometimes.) If you like Sam and Dean you'd probably like Chewing Gum's Sherlock and Mycroft.
Chewing Gum's profile on FFN
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/877409/Chewing_Gum
I'd also like to rec two fics by rabidsamfan.
Call for the Doctor
A drabble series. When Watson is called to help an accident victim he finds that the patient is Holmes -- and that the accident was no accident at all.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5373048/1/Call_for_the_Doctor
(This one is great. I love the Irregulars in this! And how Holmes takes care of them. And Rabidsamfan writes a good "entrance for Moriarty", "exit for the Irregulars" fic. I mean seeing as how we don't see the Irregulars after the hiatus.)
Quarantine
Detection has its hazards, but danger is also part of the medical profession, as Watson learns anew when smallpox arrives in London.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5377633/1/Quarantine
If I think of any other SH fic I'll let you know...
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It's not exactly canon, but neither was the Jeremy Brett version, really. Holmes has a great many vagaries of interpretation to the original material.
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Wombat had no problems with the movie. What canon? I have never so much as read a Sherlock Holmes story. Seen parts of a tv show. Own "Young Sherlock Holmes" and have seen Gene Wilder in "Sherlock Holme's Smarter Brother"
Haven't read any of the classic tales though. Someday maybe but no rush.
Yep i loved the movie. Very much fun in it.
L. Wombat
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The books are a bit of a slog compared to modern story structure and pacing, but not nearly as purple as Lovecraft, so there is that at least. Been a very long time since I read them.
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