Synopsis: During the London Blitz, an elderly Dr Watson looks back at his most bizarre adventure with Sherlock Holmes - the time that London was attacked by sea monsters, dinosaurs and robot assassins...
Doyled or Spoiled?: Despite daring to put Conan Doyle's name in the title, this is one of the least faithful versions of the Holmes canon there has ever been, from the presentation of the lead character to the content of the 'story.' However, it could be argued that the film's far-fetched elements are a logical extension of the comic book/steampunk aesthetic of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes which this film was piggybacking off (for those who don't know The Asylum produce straight-to-DVD movies with similar titles to recent blockbusters, see also: Transmorphers or Atlantic Rim). There is also the addition of Thorpe Holmes, Sherlock's hitherto-unseen brother. This perhaps has some precedent, as many Holmes pastiches have featured a third Holmes brother, although he is usually called Sherrinford. Likewise, the film also reveals, as some Holmes scholars have suggested before, that Sherlock is not the detective's real first name. Here, though, it is Robert, rather than the more usual William (as in Sherlock).
Highlight: Well... I'd like to say that it is Gareth David-Lloyd, who plays the brilliant Ianto Jones on Torchwood, but in truth he isn't given much to work with. How about we make up a new section for today?
Lowpoint: Easily Ben Syder in the lead role. Irrespective of his acting abilities, he is woefully miscast as the usually tall, lean and commanding Sherlock Holmes, possessing the wrong physique, stature and looks to fit the part. Unfortunately, and not to get too personal, Syder also has a thin, reedy voice which is again not what the role requires. I haven't seen every Sherlock Holmes film, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he is the worst Sherlock Holmes in screen history.
Verdict: Where do I start? If you hadn't guessed from the mention of dinosaurs and robots, the film has a plot which is completely devoid of all sense, far away at the other end of the spectrum from the puzzlebox plotting that makes up the best Holmes adaptations. It would be very easy to lay into this film for all the liberties it takes with Sherlock Holmes and for just being sub-par in general, but that strikes me as rather pointless. The film itself was cheekily and cheaply made, not to be a worthwhile film but to make a bit of cash. In the end, it is truly terrible but perhaps - just perhaps - a perverse pleasure could be gleaned from watching it, if you approach it in the right frame of mind.
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| Gareth David-Lloyd wonders whether he has made the right career choices... |
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