Barry Levinson’s Young Sherlock Holmes followed a trend of big-budget boy-aimed action adventures that kept coming out in the mid-1980s. Some of the others were Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. Even if he wasn’t directing, Steven Spielberg’s name kept appearing in the credits of many of them, as it does here under the role of executive producer. Most of these films did very well at the box office and most were fun to boot. Not so with Young Sherlock. It talks big and looks big but it’s a predictable bore that might as well have the subtitle ‘The Case of the Missing Magic’.
With the large English sets and characters, there is a similar feel in Young Sherlock Holmes to the later Harry Potter series. Even Alan Cox, who plays the wee Watson shares a striking resemblance to Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Potter. Sadly, Young Sherlock doesn’t have nearly the same level of excitement as the Harry Potter films, and that’s saying a lot, because I felt as though the first two Potter films were over-long and tedious.
My guess is that a big reason why Young Sherlock got the green light in the first place was because it had a gimmick based on a known character. With Levinson directing, Christopher Columbus writing and Steven Spielberg’s name attached as an executive producer, it also had bankable name power behind it. But somewhere along the line, the gimmick failed to transform into the film it might have deserved to be.
The film has many scenes filled with special effects and Ray Harryhausen-inspired creatures, as well as big sets that are meticulously filled with interesting props and detailing. But none of it adds up to the sense of adventure and mystery Levinson appears to be striving for.
Nicholas Rowe seems like an odd choice to play the titular character. He has the same dazed look on his face for much of the film, a major contrast from the ‘full of himself’ attitude the Holmes we know tends to exude. But like the effects, Rowe’s ultimately bland and not up for the potential adventure that might have existed.
At one point early in the film, Holmes is challenged to use his sleuthing skills to locate a trophy. With time running out and the connections not clear, he pulls out the trophy and holds it up high while all of his schoolmates cheer him on. While this illustrates Holmes’ detective skills and it establishes that he is most confident in himself, it is also symbolic of the self-congratulatory attitude that runs throughout the film. It’s got big sets with intricate designs and period costumes. However, in its overconfidence, Young Sherlock Holmes falls apart. This sort of film is like a peacock showing its bright colours. Sadly, it’s all about show, not substance.
