redfiona99

I went to see Sherlock Holmes on Wednesday.

Don't look at me in the at tone of voice. I know it was a terrible film probably, but it contained several of my favourite things, which include a sort of steampunk look, Mark Strong and the Rocky Road to Dublin. (As done by the Dubliners. There will be a link once I'm on a computer that can youtube.) The worst of it being that my favourite thing was also the least canonical. Irene Adler, will you marry me?

I loved Adler and Holmes's relationship because they were both quite happy with what they're doing with their lives and while they may want the other one to swap sides, they realise that they're not going to so they don't bother trying. I warms to cockles of my cold, dark heart.

RDJ is still too short for Holmes. It's odd how much that disturbs me, but it does. He's still too a lot of things for Holmes, but it kind of works, especially with Jude Law's Watson. I find it interesting that, as opposed to most productions where they scuzzy Holmes up (and down, I love the lack of mention of cocaine and syringes. Eye medicine doesn't count ;) ) they've also scuzzied Watson up.

I love Mary too. There is a woman made of hidden steel, and who is totally going to win the tug of war over Watson and Holmes knows and I love that Watson doesn't notice any of this.

The bad guys were useless if amusingly not!masons. Hans Matheson still can't act. Goodness alone knows the reason for filming the speech in parliament from that angle.

This was my first Guy Ritchie film, and my main feeling is that he's never going to be a director I like because he's too flashy, which, given I'm a Tarantino fan, is saying something. But it was mostly efficient.

The plot existed. I guessed how they did the various murders, but I think that's just because I watch too many krimis. While I agree there were no awesome deductive moments, I can at least blame the people who are not Holmes's confusion on some very well done skull and bones work by the bad guy. And some of it on the police for not doing proper autopsies, which were available by then. I'd like to have seen Blackwood survive being cut up. That was why I originally thought he was one of twins or that Coward was the main bad guy and was using people's hysteria (and the occasional double) to make them think that Blackwood had arisen. But yes, the inevitable sequel (oh Moriarty, how I love thee and thy lurking) needs a better plot.

All that being said, two other, non-spoilery bits of great amusement.

I spent the film wondering why I recognised P.C. Clark. It turns out it's William Houston who played Coriolanus when I saw it.

I also spent large chunks of the film swearing blind that it was the Dubliners doing the Rocky Road to Dublin on the soundtrack. I made my poor and unfortunate friends wait until the end of the credits to check, and of course it wasn't on there. I imdbed it later and sure enough it was (it's John Sheahan's fiddling), but really, I don't deserve my friends's patience.

I also don't deserve their generosity, because Naomi and Dr. Stu have bought me the 2000AD Big Finish audios for my birthday.