Sherlock Holmes and the Curse of the Banshee

[Loki]

Plot: London, England 1888. The City is plagued by a series of puzzling deaths. Each victim (all males) appears to have died from a sudden heart attack. Postmortem examinations reveal their hearts missing (the organ apparently ripped from their chest by way of their esophagus). The only clues to the mystery are a handful of eyewitness accounts regarding the "Lady in White" glimpsed leaving the scene of each murder.

Cast:
Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes
Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler
Jude Law as Dr. John Watson
Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood
Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade
Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan





Phew! Alright, there we are. So, has anyone heard of this coming out/have an interest in seeing it? Personally, I am a die-hard Sherlockian. I read the stories, I watch the television shows/movies (Jeremy Brett + David Burke = EPIC)... *cough*Iwritefanfictionandreadit*cough*... 

But I'm a little scared by this. It seems so very... I don't know. I love Robert Downey Jr. and the thought of a new Sherlock Holmes film is exciting, but I'm still having a hard time wrapping my mind around him playing the greatest detective who never lived. He's a talented actor, no doubt, but it's still strange for me. The plot's interesting so I'll definitely go see it when it comes out, but I'm kind of holding my breath on this one.

Any thoughts, folks? 

[Dark Echo]

I reckon Robert Downey Jr is an awesome actor and will definitely see this when it comes out. Im actually excited to see this, even though i dont know much about Sherlock Homes..

[JammerLea]

That sounds like a gruesome way to die (and most likely impossible XD). I've never seen/read anything Sherlock Holmes (just parodies and references), but it would be cool to get a taste of something purely Sherlock Holmes just for the experience. Can't say yet if I'll watch this one or not.

Makes me want to break out my Case Closed DVDs.

[sammich]

They don't really seem to "look the part". XD  Or at least what I think of when I think "sherlock holmes".  You never know, though!  Robert Downey Jr. is a great actor, so maybe this movie will be really good. XD  I'm looking forward to hearing more about it.

[Dark Echo]

Yeah i know what you mean by lookin the part. I mean i always remember the classic silloette of Sherlock Homes with his hat and magnifying glass or pipe. And wasnt Watson always shorter? Oh well, this movie still looks awesome.

[Loki]

*nodnod* Yes, Holmes was always much taller than Watson, plus he was very lean, which often made him appear taller. Although, I've heard the director has been making RDJ wear stilts/stilt-like things in order to make him appear taller than Law. Which is pretty amusing. 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks they don't look the part. I'm a wee bit extremely obsessed with the whole Sherlock Holmes fandom, and so I'm afraid I can be very critical of things like this. My father and I often engage in debate over who was the better Holmes, Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett; my father being for the former and I for the latter. So, this upcoming movie, at first glance anyhow, seems a little bit like they were relying on the Sherlock Holmes name to draw a crowd in. I'm interested to see what RDJ and Law can do as my favorite dynamic duo, but I'm a little hesitant. Still, it does sound very interesting, to say the least.

Of course, that won't stop me from seeing it. Tee-hee. 

[Shadow]

Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes does seem like an interesting choice. Who knows, the same guy who played Iron Man might be able to pull this one off. I'll watch it just for that.

Oh, wait...I have a thing for Jude Law, too. That's another reason.

[Loki]

Been a while, but the trailer is available now, so I thought I'd post it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQbmFAE5WI

...

*attempts to stifle complaints, but fails*

Alright, alright. I'm still going to see it, but there's just so many things I find... un-canon? Un-pleasant? Wrong? I'm not sure what the word is. I'm definitely going to give it a chance, and it looks as though it will be a rather fun movie to watch so long as I consider it as separate from the Sherlock Holmes I know.

Half-way through the trailer, Watson makes four statements about Holmes, two of which are false. Playing the violin at three in the morning? Trufax. If you have a Stradivarius, you play it, hours of the night be darned. The mess? Trufax (that's called Bohemianism, Watson old-boy). Hey, if I was that brilliant, I probably wouldn't waste my time cleaning up either. Mrs. Hudson has (truthfully, perhaps) dubbed him, the absolute worst tenant in all of London. General lack of hygiene? Um, no. Incorrect on that one. It was stated on more than one occasion that Holmes was impeccable, near obsessive, in the manners of his appearance. He always made sure to be very clean-shaven and tidy in his dress. Stealing Watson's clothes? Hardly. Holmes is a thin and lanky six feet tall, where-as Watson is considerably shorter and stouter (NOT FAT, darn you. People always assume he's fat, but he's not! *weeps*). Watson's clothes wouldn't fit Holmes. Of course, Robert Downey Jr. is shorter than Jude law, so... *scratches head* I suppose that's how that works. But still!

Enough of my complaining now. On the bright side, there were some amusing and rather interesting aspects to the trailer. I will be interested to see how the whole "vampyre" affair is handled. Vampires aren't technically a new foe for Sherlock Holmes, when one considers the story entitled "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire." Still, there were no real vampires in that story, and nothing nearly so other-worldly as this film seems to detail. Very interesting. Not to mention the fight scenes look particularly well orchestrated. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for a good round of fisticuffs. GUFFAW. All in all, it looks very entertaining and I'm eager for it to come out and hopefully prove some of my doubts wrong.

*thinks, then chuckles* I wonder if this is how the Star Trek fans felt? 

[Sky Dragon]

*retches*
Honestly, I was initially pretty enthusiastic about this originally, since I like Jude Law and I though Downey as the world's favorite cocaine(*) addict would be brilliant. He's too short and not thin enough, but then again Hugh Jackman was about a foot too tall and too skinny, but he still made a brilliant Wolverine.

But the simple fact that they not only apparently chose to tack Holmes, who is the ultimate narcissistic prick(**), with a girl, and that on top of that they made it IRENE ADLER of all people, is just pissing me off.
That said, I probably will see it. But instead of forking over twenty dollars in movie tickets, I'll wait six months and rent it for a buck.

@Loki: No, Watson is most certainly not fat, despite being popularly(and erroneously) depicted as such. In fact, when the two first meet he is abnormally thin because of long suffering associated with a war wound, IIRC. You are however right that Holmes is significantly taller and thinner than Watson. But then again, given Holmes's penchant for impersonation and disguise, why would that stop him?

(* I forget if it was morphine or cocaine. I think the latter, though it might've been both)
(** I love Sherlock Holmes. But even I have to concede he's a prick.)

[Maverick Wolf]

*retches*
Honestly, I was initially pretty enthusiastic about this originally, since I like Jude Law and I though Downey as the world's favorite cocaine(*) addict would be brilliant. He's too short and not thin enough, but then again Hugh Jackman was about a foot too tall and too skinny, but he still made a brilliant Wolverine.

But the simple fact that they not only apparently chose to tack Holmes, who is the ultimate narcissistic prick(**), with a girl, and that on top of that they made it IRENE ADLER of all people, is just pissing me off.
That said, I probably will see it. But instead of forking over twenty dollars in movie tickets, I'll wait six months and rent it for a buck.

@Loki: No, Watson is most certainly not fat, despite being popularly(and erroneously) depicted as such. In fact, when the two first meet he is abnormally thin because of long suffering associated with a war wound, IIRC. You are however right that Holmes is significantly taller and thinner than Watson. But then again, given Holmes's penchant for impersonation and disguise, why would that stop him?

(* I forget if it was morphine or cocaine. I think the latter, though it might've been both)
(** I love Sherlock Holmes. But even I have to concede he's a prick.)

I know this is long past, but I haven't been on in a while.  First, IIRC correctly, he was addicted to both morphine and cocaine, though at separate points.  Second, Irene Adler was, on more than one occasion, mentioned as THE woman to Sherlock Holmes.  While never directly mentioned (nor acted upon), it is highly likely that Holmes was truly in love with Ms. Adler, but could not let such a petty human emotion affect him (being who he is and all).

Having seen the movie, I'm split.  I like the move, and frankly, Robert Downey Jr. was brilliant.  Jude Law wasn't bad as Watson, but I also wasn't impressed.  And part of me still wishes we have the 6'4" lanky Holmes with the 5'9" stout Watson like it's supposed to be.  I was rather fond of the way the fight scenes were done (especially the one in the gambling ring).  Many people seem to forget that Holmes was actually in rather good shape, and was an accomplished fighter.

@Loki:  While Holmes undoubtedly was of much better hygiene then implied, he did have his moments, especially when slipping into the depressions that came with a lack of work (or when he was doing undercover investigation).