Welcome new reviewer Doug Hollingworth to The Blu-ray Blog!!
SHERLOCK HOLMES (2009, Blu-ray released March 30, 2010 – MSRP $35.99)
If you think that Swept Away was not only Guy Ritchie’s masterpiece but the crowning achievement of Madonna’s acting career then steer clear of this film…because this film is actually good.
The game is afoot in Guy Ritchie’s “Ba-ritsu” laden, tough guy touting adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes legacy. I’m not saying that this was the most amazing film that came out in ’09, but it certainly was one of the more fun films in theaters and all without any 3D pretense.
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are the Victorian age Starsky & Hutch dynamic duo who run around London solving the mystery of the recently-raised-from-the-dead bad guy bent on world domination, kicking ass and taking names all the way. Oh, and did I mention that in addition to being a feast of Victorian-era mystery and mood, it’s also a ‘bromance’…with martial arts and Rachel McAdams. So really, what’s not to like?
The Blu-ray has only been out for a couple of weeks, but I’ve already given it multiple viewings and I’ve got to say it looks beautiful on Blu. Dirty and gritty London never looked so damn good, with the high-def encode only showing the slightest bit of ghosting during some of the quicker fight scenes but with top-notch audio throughout. I’d put Sherlock Holmes up there with JJ Abrams’ Star Trek Blu-ray in terms of audio and video quality. ‘Nuff said about that now on to the goodies.
Sherlock Holmes is chock full of extras including WB Maximum Movie Mode which I have to say is one of the better ones they’ve released so far. I’m a big fan of special features and production documentaries but by and large most studio docs these days are nothing but kiss ass PSAs for how amazing the film is and how great the director is and how wonderful the co-star is. I mean, if you bought the damn film, chances are you are already sold on it… so stop selling it.
Instead we are treated to several mini production videos covering everything from costumes and fight scenes (did you know that RDJ has been studying Jiu-Jitsu for the past 5 years? Well I didn’t.) to the dialect coach and even a doc on why they chose NOT to give Holmes his deerstalker hat.
Those of you keen on running commentary but who are new to WB’s Maximum Movie Mode are in for a more fast face paced and immersive experience than you have ever found on DVD. You get Guy Ritchie’s insightful commentary plus clips of each of the individual docs that run sporadically throughout the film as well as a “picture in picture mode” which shows you the scene as it was being filmed, side by side with the finished product.
Along with that are fluff but fun pieces like a timeline of real life events concerning Arthur Conan Doyle’s life and various histories of famous British landmarks.
So is Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes a worthy addition to everyone’s Blu-Ray collection? One could say it’s almost “elementary my dear Watson”. See that? I put in two references to Holmes in this review…so how could you not want to see it?
[ED NOTE: Great all around Blu-ray. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it. What an amazing surprise!]
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