Young Sherlock Holmes- Cult Film Review

The 1980s was a golden age for cinema, offering something for everyone. From the high-octane action of Schwarzenegger and Stallone to the heartwarming coming-of-age stories of John Hughes, the decade was filled with iconic films that continue to resonate today.

When Young Sherlock Holmes was released in 1985 it looked like it would appeal to the youth demographic as it had some pedigree behind it; it was written by Chris Columbus, produced by Steven Spielberg and had involvement from Kathleen Kennedy. It all looked promising with this dream team of creatives but the film struggled to make back its £15 million budget. I didn't catch the film when it was first released, as I would have been 4 years old at the time, but caught it in my early teens. I liked the film immensely but thought I'd revisit the film and see if it had stood the test of time or whether my nostalgia had filtered an okay film with the golden glow of greatness.

The film has stood the test of time pretty well.

The film uses the characters developed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but reimagines them as pupils at secondary school. Narrated from Watson's view, we get a mystery as a successful businessman, a reverend and an ex-professor/ inventor are killed. Nothing seems to connect them except the fact that they all graduated from the same university in the same year. A cloaked figure uses a blowdart to infect the victims with a hallucinatory drug that leads to death but why are these people being killed? Using his powers of deduction, Holmes goes in pursuit of the truth and what follows is a tale of human sacrifice, a secret temple and a cult.

Watching this about 30 years after the first time, I do have to say that I think the film deserves to be remembered and appreciated as it is a bit of a forgotten gem. However, I also think I can see why the film did not find the audience it deserved; it's often the case that films aimed at a specific demographic can struggle to find their audience if they don't quite fit the mould. The scary hallucinations, which are integral to the plot of the film, set it apart from other movies aimed at the youth market but proved too shocking for many. It's a testament to Columbus who created a more complex and thought-provoking story that looked at the ill effects of colonialism and misadventure but when the opening scene, which sees a man hallucinating that his sentient chicken dinner is attacking him, his furniture is alive and that his house is on fire so he jumps from a window to save himself and dies upon impact, it is a pretty darned scary opening.

Later, the Pixar created CGI stained-glass knight and cemetery corpse puppets are very effective and would be too much for many a younger sensitive little soul. This is a shame as the rest of the film is an exciting adventurous tale full of intrigue and tension worthy of Indiana Jones (especially the Kali Ma sacrifice which here is the mummifying of the body of a teen girl, who is still alive, in wax) with the scary puppetry of Gremlins.

The production values are great in this film as the Edwardian Britain setting is well realised and brought to life with excellent sets and costume. The lighting adds a lot to the mysterious atmosphere and the music, created by Bruce Broughton, does much to crank up the tension when required but add levity and a sense of fun.

The actors are excellent all round but particular mention must go to the young actors Nicholas Rowe as Holmes, Alex Cox as Watson and Sophie Ward as Elizabeth, who excel with their roles, even if the script isn't as meaty or as quotable as many other classic films from the time.

Overall, the film was well produced, looked great and was acted and I enjoyed it immensely but won't be showing it to my kids for a few years yet.