Some Thoughts on the New Sherlock Holmes Movie
Presuming this new addition to the Holmes lore is based on a previously unpublished case history from Dr. Watson, one has to wonder if Watson forgot his own time line or has time shifted the events to cover over the scandal of Lord Blackwood almost taking over the British Empire.
I say this due to the fact that much of the action at the end of the movie takes place on the almost completed Tower Bridge. Yet the Tower Bridge was under construction from 1888 until 1894, so the action in the current episode would likely have taken place in 1892 or 1893. Yet as we all know, Holmes was still considered to have been killed in his fight with Prof. Moriarty in 1891 and did not return to London until the spring of 1894.
Also, of course, Watson married Mary Marston in 1888. So this must shift the action in the current story to this time frame, which makes much more sense considering that Prof. Moriarty is alive and well in the movie.
I am not sure Holmes would recognize himself from the portrayal of Robert Downey jr. To be out and about on the streets of London in such an unkempt manner just does not strike me as Holmes' style. On the other hand I think Watson would very much appreciate Jude Law's presentation of how he handled himself in so many of the cases where he assisted Holmes.
As to the action scenes in the movie we now see Holmes and Watson using the skills we know they both must have had to take on the underworld of London. I doubt Holmes would have put himself forward in such a public way to display his skills at pugilism. Rather, I feel he would have taken himself to a private gym where he would have shown how to handle himself with his fists. Unless, of course, this was part of a case where he had gone undercover to root out a nefarious evildoer.
For those fans of the Holmes' stories who believe that Holmes would never have used such brutal methods to solve his cases, I am afraid you will be disappointed by this addition to the lore. However, for those of us who always suspected there was more to the stories than Watson was allowed to put into print, this case allows us to see Holmes and Watson truly at their best.
