Young Sherlock Holmes
Young Sherlock Holmes is a mystery action film written by Chris Columbus and directed by Barry Levinson and released on 1985-12-04. The film is based on a re-imagination of the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, particularly Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as teenagers at a boarding school. The film was also novelized and imagery from the film was used to sell an unrelated video game.
The film is narrated by John Watson as an adult describing when he was a teen and transferred to a new boarding school where he roomed with a talented genius named Sherlock Holmes. When Holmes was not being mentored by several gifted professors or wrestling with a student rival, he was courting a lovely young woman. But, everything in his life is upended when Holmes begins to see connections between a series of strange deaths around London. Though the authorities believe the deaths to be unrelated, Holmes can't help but investigate, and the clues he finds get him and his friends dangerously entwined in an assassin's plot to use hallucinogenic drugs which cause people to inadvertently kill themselves!
Contents
Personal
My family rented this film when I was around six years old, and I remember being both excited by and terrified by it. When I was in my 20s, I found it had been released to DVD and I bought it and re-watched it. I found it not without its problems, but still a very entertaining film.
I own this film on DVD.
Cast
| Actor | Roles |
|---|---|
| Nicholas Rowe | Sherlock Holmes |
| Alan Cox | John Watson |
| Michael Hordern | Older John Watson (narrator) |
| Sophie Ward | Elizabeth Hardy |
| Anthony Higgins | Rathe |
| Susan Fleetwood | Mrs. Dribb |
| Freddie Jones | Chester Cragwitch |
| Nigel Stock | Rupert Waxflatter |
| Roger Ashton-Griffiths | Inspector Lestrade |
| Earl Rhodes | Dudley |
| Brian Oulton | Master Snelgrove |
| Patrick Newell | Bentley Bobster |
| Donald Eccles | Reverend Duncan Nesbitt |
| Walter Sparrow | Ethan Engel |
| Nadim Sawalha | Egyptian Tavern Owner |
| Roger Brierley | Mr. Holmes |
| Vivienne Chandler | Mrs. Holmes |
| Lockwood West | Curiosity Shop Owner |
| John Scott Martin | Cemetery Caretaker |
| Willoughby Goddard | School Reverend |
| Michael Cule | Policeman |
| Ralph Tabakin | Policeman in Shop Window |
| Nancy Nevinson | Hotel Receptionist |
Review
— This section contains spoilers! —
Good
- Playing around with already established characters often failed, and I think the writers were wise to re-imagine them as children which helped eliminate many of the pitfalls that often occur. Rather than a sure-of-himself adult, we see Holmes as a gifted teen. He knows he's brilliant, and likes to mock inferiors, but he still desperately seeks the approval of his mentors.
- Despite being a Shelock Holmes mystery, since it was targeted toward older children, the film has plenty of action and excitement.
- The special effects in this film are amazing for the time and employ a variety of techniques including stop-animation, CGI, and traditional practical effects.
- The casting is great. Nicholas Rowe is a perfect stoic Holmes, Anthony Higgins makes a great villain, and it's nice that Nigel Stock, who once played Holmes in the past, was hired on to be a mentor for the young Holmes.
Bad
- The action scenes near the end are awfully hokey.
- As with most films set in the winter, the ice and snow is clearly fake.
- Holmes should have realized that people don't instantly freeze and sink into ice water the way Rathe does.
- The film has the stupid, person can't spit out a rag that's been pushed in their mouth trope.
Ugly
- Elizabeth's life (and death) is just used as a plot point for Holmes.
Media
Covers
DVD - USA.
DVD - USA - later.
Posters
Poster - Original.
Poster - Alternate.
Poster - Used for VHS, Beta, and Laserdisc covers.
Videos
Links
