Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows

SPOILER ALERT!

This is not a Sherlock Holmes movie. At least that was what I thought until I saw the final 15 minutes of the movie (will come to that in a moment). I mean how/who can digest a Holmes who seems to have specialized in mixed martial arts, moving like Jackie Chan in the opening sequence fighting 4 men at a time? He almost brings us back to the Holmesian manner only to end up firing rounds in a moving train and throwing out Mary Morston from the train (yeah, you heard me right!). Towards the middle I thought I was watching a world war movie with all sorts of guns and cannons expoding all around me along with slick camera angles showing the details of the same in slow motion.

Likewise Irene Adler was disposed off in a quick fashion to emphasis on Prof. Moriarty's hardheartedness and there was Col.Sebastian Moran who did his part commendably. A few disguises, a nude Mycroft Holmes, capturing of Sherlock and some related sequences were there as well. All these along with a whole lot of funny sequences that will make us laugh plus Downey Jr. who certainly behaves like Holmes but unfortunately who never had the looks of the detective was enough for me to conclude that this was not a Holmes movie that I am watching but some other action packed comedy entertainer.

But then the last 15 minutes changed a lot of things. Suddenly there was the Reichenbach falls - though not in a way that you would imagine, there was a meaning to the plot, there was suspense, there was meaning to all those meaningless shots before and as an icing: a beautifully crafted Holmes-Moriarty face off in a unique fashion that will ultimately remind us about the story: The Final Problem. In fact, many dialogues were directly from the story. "Dreadful caldron of swirling water and seething foam, will lie for all time the most dangerous criminal and the foremost champion of the law of their generation." being the last one of them.

The movie ended on a high and I am happy about that. It seems like the director and the actor got hold of the character very well but the former introduced action sequences for the sake of entertainment which I felt was not necessary. Ironically the last 15 minutes had little action in it and was undoubtedly the best portion of the film.

Verdict: If you can forget Holmes for the initial part and bring him back in at the end then this will turn out to be a good watch.

The House of Silk - A Sherlock Holmes novel

Many of you might have already heard and may have even read the latest addition to the Holmes collection - The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. For those who haven't heard about it yet; this is the first officially authorized Sherlock Holmes novel by the Conan Doyle Estate since the actual series. It was published in November 2011.

The plot as narrated by Dr. Watson, who is still alive, was an unpublished story from the Holmes collection due to its sensitive nature, which ultimately got published after a 100 years from the period it actually happened. There are no gimmicks to make this plot believable, it simply mentions this and straightaway goes into the story.

The story revolves around a double murder, seemingly unrelated but ultimately ending up together in a serious social issue. As a Holmes fan and a reader, the book will take you to a ride back in time through the streets of London and it almost touches all the key elements that the books were known for: his deductive skills, gangs, street urchins, mistaken identities, unusual twists including Holmes walking into a trap(though intentionally) and numerous references made by Watson to various stories in the actual series. Even key characters from the actual series make an appearance at many points (cannot reveal more here, but there are surprise cameos, it may be a touch modern in that sense).

The most important deviation from the original series would be the emotional side that has been brought in. For instance, it includes apologies from Watson to Lestrade through his writings. More importantly another side of Holmes and someone else ('guess who?') is revealed as the story goes forward. No, there is no romance here :)

The narrative is smooth and is kept as close as possible to the original write ups. To sum it up the book is worth reading this Christmas season and it will take you back to those good old Holmseian days. So go for it!

Verdict: Must read for fans!

World's Greatest Detective

Those who read and used to read will agree in unison that when it comes to serious crime solving there was/is only name, only one person who can do it with the precision of a surgeon. That person is a fictional character who enjoyed success in such a scale that it became impossible for the readers to think that he is just that - fictional. He grew out from the grasp of his creator and started 'living' under a roof at 221 B Baker Street, London., solving those exotic uncharacteristic cases that came to him. Readers know so much about him that it is hard for them to believe that he never existed at the first place; for them he has retired and is currently enjoying Bee keeping in a farm in Sussex - Yes, we are indeed talking about Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

I've always been a fan of his books and theories. One of the prime reasons of me becoming a fan might be because the detective (and the author) was always ahead of his time. Back in 1880's he saw the possibility of solving cases by taking finger prints and blood samples from the crime scene. His theory of deduction based on minute facts and inferences is even applicable to the current society. Just that it need some serious tweaking. My interests grew higher when I read that he relied on Cocaine when he is not solving cases simply because he found it too hard to sit on an idle brain. The man wanted challenges, the more difficult they were the happier he was.

For his talent, I've decided to convert this blog (which used to be my personal blog once) as a dedication site for one of the best brains to have ever 'lived'.