YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES (1985)

YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES (1985)

Rating PG-13 - Rottentomatoes freshness score 70% (popcornmeter 63%), IMDB rating 6.8/10

Synopsis:

John Watson is the new boy at a boarding school in Victorian-era London.  One of the first people he meets there is another student, Sherlock Holmes.  It doesn't take long before Holmes' keen intellect and powerful skills of observation come into play as he accepts a fellow student's challenge to solve a mystery.  That was all fun and games compared to what happens next, when Watson and Holmes are caught up in the sinister doings of London's underbelly.  Can they solve the case?  Can they survive?

Thoughts:

I added this title to my collection recently, after I discovered a copy in a local thrift store.  Lucky find!

I first saw YSH when it came out in the 1980s.  It was a fun romp then, and though some of the effects seem woefully outdated, it remains a fun romp today.  IMO, Nicholas Rowe was probably cast as young Sherlock because he very well could have been a young Basil Rathbone, who was perhaps the most iconic Holmes character ever.  Rathbone played Holmes in several movies during his career.  

One interesting technical note about YSH is that, with the help of Industrial Light and Magic, it was the first movie to feature a completely CGI-generated character.  This character was a knight that bursts out of a stained glass window and interacts with characters in the movie.  

Sir AC Doyle didn't write any stories of Holmes in his younger years, but this movie sets out to provide possible answers to a few questions people have had about AC Doyle's Holmes.  For example, why is he single, why does he prefer solitude, etc.  And the screen writer, director and producer do an admirable job of that.  

I think that the RT and IMDB ratings reflect the way I would rate this movie as well.

Recommendation:

This is worth a watch to be sure, though it hasn't become a classic, but it has become a cult classic of sorts.  Why? It is set during Victorian England, and it has interesting landmark special effects.  However, for most people, this movie will either be a one and done or a none and done.  

I recommend giving it a look to see whether you are a one-and done viewer, or you are ready to join the cult following of this fun film.