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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Paramount
Salesrank: 1119
Released: December 2, 2003 |
| Our Price: $6.04 |
| Used Price: $4.99 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
VICTORIAN LONDON SCHOOLBOYS HOLMES AND WATSON FORM THEIR HABITS IN PURSUIT OF A DEADLY PAGAN CULT.
Description of Young Sherlock Holmes:
This 1985 adventure directed by Barry Levinson (Rain Man) and written by Chris Columbus (Gremlins) may not have much to do with the Sherlock Holmes of Arthur Conan Doyle's invention. But it is a delightful and somewhat unexpected combination of exciting elements: Victorian-era, foggy-London mystique, Gothic horror, and Indiana Jones-like exotica. Nicholas Rowe plays Holmes as a schoolboy at a boarding academy for young men. Paired with the owlish, reticent young Watson (Alan Cox), Holmes embarks on the solution of a mystery that involves a hallucinatory and lethal drug, and a religious cult celebrating ancient Egyptian rites of mummification. Levinson makes handsome and crisp work of this Steven Spielberg production, without a trace of the treacle that often found its way into other Spielbergian projects at the time (The Goonies). Rowe is wonderfully convincing as a teen incarnation of the Great Detective, and while Cox mostly maintains Hollywood's traditionally unflattering idea of Watson, he does bring warmth and comedy to the role. The cast includes Freddie Jones as an eccentric inventor, Anthony Higgins as the villain, and Sophie Ward as Holmes's love interest. --Tom Keogh
Young Sherlock Holmes Reviews:
Great Creativity 
2009-12-13 - This was an excellent video that took some liberties when filling in the gaps of Sherlock and Watson's early life. Although an older story establishes how they met, I find this story to be more genuine. It is amusing for all ages.
Wish they followed through with a sequel
2009-12-07 - This movie is really good and very well done! It does keep you guessing and can't believe it is as old as it is. If you have seen it, have you watched it all the way through the credits-there is quite a twist which sets it up for a sequel. Bummer that they never did.
Great hidden gem!
2009-10-23 - First caught this movie on cable a few years after it was released. I was immediately suprised at how entertaining it was (although with Spielberg as an executive producer, I guess I shouldn't have been).
I am not an avid Sherlock Holmes buff, but I always liked the premise of the stories - especially since people tend to think this was a real life character. Showing Holmes and Watson in their intial meeting and partnership was genius. A little on the supernatural side, but that just adds to the quality and keeps your interest. I also like how they explain why Sherlock avoids any future serious female relationships. And what can I say about the exceptionally debonair but evil arch-rival Moriarty....you just have to see for yourself.
I think sequels would have taken away from this original film. By the other comments I've read, I am glad to see that this film has held up well after all these years. Being a period piece, it does not suffer from ever being outdated.
For anyone that likes a thrill ride of this kind of supernatural/mystery/drama, it is a must-have!
I don't like fantasy in my Sherlock 
2009-10-21 - Just recently the nerds on one of my favorite television shows "The Big Bang Theory" mentioned enjoying this movie. I remembered enjoying it when it first came out. And especially liking the teaser at the end of the credits which most of the audience missed as they had left the theatre. But re-watching this was a big disappointment. First of all the special effects take up way to much time in the movie that could have been given to establishing a better story line. The idea of Sherlock and Watson being together in school long before the "Study in Scarlet" is distasteful. The actor playing Holmes was badly cast. And the sensational ending is just too out of step with the real mood of the Holmes stories.
The only thing really good about this is that it may have inspired the idea for Harry Potter.
Great classic mystery movie 
2009-09-01 - I hadn't seen this movie for about 15 years and it was great to be able to buy this movie and see it again after so long. It is a great classic for the young at heart.
