Holmes And Watson

This review may contain spoilers!

There have been a few good and bad comedies this year, but this is one of the worst. I would give Holmes and Watson a 2/10.

Probably the best thing I can say about this film is how much I enjoyed the quirky and unpredictable use of music. The score for the film riffed off the more well-known BBC Sherlock or Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes films; while the soundtrack was a hysterical yet surprising blend of modern music. There's even a musical number presented at one point for the sake of it, the sheer fun that's had with the range of music is quite fun if not a little mismatched.

John C. Reilly, who played Watson, puts a lot of effort into finding the best comedic approach to each scene; Reilly's portrayal of Watson's unabashed adoration for Holmes is very over the top and a good deal of fun to watch. Kelly Macdonald, who played Mrs Hudson, is a very surprisingly lewd role in this film which is where some of the better moments of comedy stem from; Macdonald has a lot of fun playing the surprise antagonist and gets to really experiment with lending a nasty streak to her character.

However, the best performance came from Ralph Fiennes, who played Moriarty/Musgrave. Fiennes is often quite a class act and he's certainly a step ahead in this feature. He doesn't have the most consistent presence in the film but he has a silent menace that really holds your attention in his scenes. Fiennes presents a man of intellect and malice, his gravitas against his adversaries is something to behold. Yet in spite of all this, it's terrific fun to see the veil stripped away and watch Fiennes present the dithering form of the impostor, Musgrave, right at the end of his performance.

Holmes and Watson is an extremely loose adaptation of Sherlock Holmes and his colleague, Dr Watson, in their struggle against the villainous Moriarty. At every turn, this film seems hellbent on finding a way to sabotage itself or provide a very cheap gag. The plot is seriously contrived and to say that it reached an ending or had any sense of what direction it was taking would be a serious stretch. The main characters are constantly being toted as being genius detectives, yet the characters themselves don't feel any different from the usual Ferrell/Reilly morons we're used to getting. The historical inaccuracies and increasing inability to keep with setting, tone or character as the film goes along makes it feel like watching something coming apart at the seams. Ultimately, this is a comedy that is just not very funny; often there are points where physical comedy, gross gags or just uncomfortable moments are created for laughs and the film never rises above these. The cinematography used throughout the feature feels staged, if the camera has the option to remain as static as possible then it will remain so. The editing sets a dull pace, often slowly transitioning between scenes in a rather lethargic manner.

Will Ferrell, who played Holmes, hasn't risen from the same usual character for quite a while now; Ferrell presenting the same old arrogant yet idiotic role is tired and played out. Lauren Lapkus, who played Millie, is just an odd role and uncomfortable to watch; her being paired against Ferrell is a strange choice and the pair share no chemistry whatsoever. Rebecca Hall, who played Dr Grace Hart, is just too bland an actress for a comedy; Hall comes across as very stiff and doesn't manage a wide range of emotions within this role. Hugh Laurie, who played Mycroft, is a very forgettable cameo performance; Laurie's dour role lands little to no impression on the audience beyond one of vague recognition. Pam Ferris, who played Queen Victoria, just plays a caricature of the Queen throughout this film; it's a dry role that never gets much chance at any real comedy so she just becomes a boring set piece. Steve Coogan, who played the One-Armed Tattooist, is yet another cameo that is almost instantly forgettable; Coogan has no real gravitas as a villain and the jokes around his character being one-armed tend to fall flat. Rob Brydon, who played Inspector Lestrade, takes his role too seriously in a film where no one is really giving a very serious performance; this just makes Brydon fall squarely into the background of many of his scenes.