Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars

I never could see Jonathan Pryce as Holmes myself but he was the only good thing about this otherwise sterile family drama that seems like it was made for CITV or CBEEBIES. There's absolutely no bloody atmosphere to it.

Holmes' trusty Baker Street kids lose their leader when he apparently drowns in the Thames and the victim's sister begins to turn against Holmes claiming that he doesn't really care for them. But he still needs them to carry on working for him since he's in the middle of a difficult case.

It's not the best of plots and the acting from the majority of the cast would make the 'actors' in Hollyoaks cringe. The stupid slow motion and editing techniques do not fit the context and the music is completely anachronistic, if terribly dull. The production design was pretty though, it has to be said.

For Sherlock Holmes fans and very young kids only.

For many years Sherlock Holmes has relied on a small group of street kids to aid him with underground contacts and some dirty work. This gang call themselves the Irregulars and are happy for the money. When their leader Jack goes missing feared dead, they turn to Holmes for help, with Jack's sister Sadie in particular demanding he help them. On the contrary though, Holmes is investigating the murder of a police detective and needs them to find out some information from Chinatown instead. They yield and agree to help him first but when Holmes is charged with the murder himself, it becomes apparent that they all need each others' help and that the two investigations may be linked in some way.

As a fan of Sherlock Holmes I decided to give this piece of family entertainment when it was screened over two Sunday early-evenings. The film is very much intended for older children who like to read their mystery books and will see this as a grown-up drama for them to get into. Adults will see it the other way around though, because the film isn't really as grown up as it would like to be. The plot itself is serviceable enough and it held my interest as it unfolded. Of course there is missed potential here and there isn't much below the "actions" across the narrative. What I mean is that the script has a pain in Holmes that it only brings out by occasionally having him say things that make him sound like he has a pain. Similarly it stays totally away from the issue over street kids being used by Holmes! The kids themselves are the focus and, to help appeal to the target audience they are very modern and cheeky. At times this grated on me because some of the performances are not good enough to carry this approach and they jar with the setting somewhat. That said the modern approach in the direction does help give the film energy – although perhaps the "Reservoir Dogs" reference at the end was a bit too obvious for its own good. Pryce is pretty good as Holmes and Paterson is a surprisingly assured Watson; together the two men have a convincing working relationship. The children are mostly good. Fernandez runs the group well, Gibbons is good; Johnson's accent bugged me and I could not work out why Hewkin was playing a girl pretending to be a boy – it offered her and the film nothing.

Overall then a solid piece of family entertainment. Not as strong as it could have been but will please children looking for a more "grown up" drama and is energetic and engaging enough to be watched by parents as well.

Well, if you're not a Sherlock Holmes fan, this might work for you. If you love or know Holmesian stories, then the wild and nonsensical divergences from canon will irritate you.

It's not the WORST Sherlock Holmes series I've seen, but it's really not very good. Even with Jonathan Pryce in it.

Also, David Bowie's China Girl while they're exploring China town? So out of place.

I ordered this on Netflix for the fun of it and definitely had a good time. It's intended for kids/tweens, but still entertaining for Holmes fans in general. Jonathan Pryce is an interesting older Holmes, and I loved Bill Paterson's Watson getting to know a sort of re-imagined Mary Morstan. Anna Chancellor made me wish she was in a different adaptation. I think her Irene deserved a more serious outlet. The story's concentration on the irregulars themselves is fun, since Conan Doyle's details about them were sketchy.

The story has some plot holes, Holmes isn't 100% canon, and it's definitely not a classic adaptation, but I'd recommend it as a fun thing to watch for an evening if you like seeing different versions. If you have kids, it's family-friendly.

Added Note: This movie is rife with Holmes tropes. Beware of stepping on them, as they sort of litter the floor with their inescapable presence.