Rating: 
Summary: Elementary my dear Watson
Review: Those that enjoy Harry Potter should enjoy this movie as well. Although not filled with magic spells or tricks it will put a spell of enchantment on your heart for the charactizations are great. It may not have the wonderful creatures of the Potter movies, but it has a great mystery to solve. The sets and music are excellent as well. Most people like the Sherlock Holmes movies or TV series. Imagine a young version in school with rivalry with classmates and a secret society that worships underground in a Pyramid in the middle of London to contend with.
Oh did I mention he meets his lifetime friend Watson and his lifetime nemisis Moriarity? Levinson and Spielberg did a superb job on this. I can see why the Young Indiana Jones movies turned out so well. I only wish we had as many Young Sherlock Holmes movies.
I am not sure why they didn't do a sequel at the time, perhaps to many other projects. Now the ages of the actors/actresses, not to mention I believe a death of one of them would prevent it with the same cast. I still hope that someday soon they will re-examine creating a series of these. Although I have all ready bought a DVD player I can certainly understand why one reviewer will not until this is out on DVD.
Unfortunately many Spielberg and Lucas movies seem to be slow to get to DVD. One can only hope they will stop this trend and allow the fans of their movies to enjoy them with sharper picture and sound not to mention all the extras. This is a great movie for the family. It is especially a delight to watch around Christmas time since most of the scenes were shot with snow and the movie was released that time of the year.
Rating:
Summary: The start of a great franchise?
Review: Well it wasn't. But it still could be. Young Sherlock Holmes is a fantastic movie that could have kick-started a whole bunch of sequels. They never happened but the film has enough clout to convince me now, 18 years later, that new movies of this calibre would be more than welcome. In the mid-80s Chris Columbus wrote many family adventure movies (Gremlins and The Goonies were other notable entries, he also went on to do 2 Harry Potters, 2 Home Alones and Bicentennial Man) but Young Sherlock Holmes is definitely his most sophisticated as a writer. With strong direction from Barry Levinson and wonderful production values from Spielberg himself there's no denying that the movie looks great as well as being very clever. Nicholas Rowe (who didn't really do much after this for some reason) plays 17-year-old Holmes and Alan Cox (Harry Potter look-alike and son of popular actor Brian Cox) is Watson. They meet at a private school (actually Eton) and become good pals. But Holmes becomes concerned with a series of bizarre suicides and convinces Watson to help him investigate. Some of the scenes seem a little hard. It was one of the first films to be rated PG-13 (Temple of Doom was the very first), but if this were made today they would probably tone it down a bit. Keep a lookout for the first ever CGI character in a movie (the stained glass knight) and watch the credits right to the end. This is one of those movies where every scene is cool and you can watch it again and again. It's a shame that at the time it was considered another 'special effects' movie because it the visuals only compliment the story. Without them the movie would be just as good. Unlike today when movies are sold on their effects alone, they visuals to Young Sherlock Holmes are vital to the plot. Of particular note is Bruce Broughton's majestic score (I am lucky enough to have the ultra-rare 132 minute soundtrack CD) which is so cool it deserves a paragraph of its own. Definitely one of the best scores to any film and well worth seeking out. This surely one DVD you must get. The 1.78:1 anamorphic picture looks great and the Dolby 5.1 soundtrack sounds good considering it has been remastered from plain old stereo. The only extra is a trailer.
Rating:
Summary: !!
Review: I only watched this movie a couple of days ago, but I'm already in love with it! The acting was great, only Potter... er, I mean Watson, was extremely annoying. I kept being reminded of Harry Potter all the time!! The chemistry teacher was like a Proffesor Binns, and Dudley (!) was like a mini Malfoy. It's extremely hard to believe that the two movies (or the movie and book) are completely unrelated! Anyways, I thought that the movie is very "misunderestimated" nowadays, and I'm extremely disappointed that there's no fansites of the actors or anything... I mean, they're all so good, Nicholas Rowe especially! The music was fantastic. If only I could get my hands on the soundtrack... and it's out on DVD!! Go watch it, you'll never regret it!!
Rating:
Summary: A great tribute to the origins of Doyle's master detective.
Review: This movie has been repeatedly underrated since it came out in 1985 and for no good reason. It has strong writing, directing, acting and setting, and a balanced dose of mystery, fantasy, reality and adventure. Sherlock Holmes, a young man still in school, faces a mystery that involves an old religious cult that may be responsible for the recent, strange murders taking place in London. Watson is the narrator of the story. He has just arrived at Sherlock's school, and fascinated by the charm, intelligence and wit of his soon to be good friend, follows him along on his adventure. Poisoned darts, DaVinci-like experiments, mysterious acquaintances, seemingly unexplained events, and ghosts from the past make an appearance and very soon "the game is afoot". It has a solid script that combines the mundane environment and events of high school with an interesting mystery/adventure plot penned by Chris Colombus in the well-known Conan Doyle style. It has equally solid main characters that not only accurately portray younger versions of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, but also behave believably and in accord to the books written by Conan Doyle. The realistically reproduced sets and costumes (you will even get to see the iconic cape, hat and pipe) and the speculative twists on the origins of the characters make this movie more than just enjoyable and entertaining, it makes it as charming as Holmes and Watson's personalities. If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan or simply enjoy an old-fashioned, well-crafted, surprising mystery, buy this movie. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: OK potboiler, done to a turn
Review: YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES (USA 1985): In Victorian London, the teenage Sherlock Holmes (Nicholas Rowe) and John Watson (Alan Cox) meet for the first time at school, where they become intrigued by a series of apparently unrelated 'suicides' which lead them to a murderous Egyptian cult operating in the bowels of the city... Barry Levinson's reimagining of Holmes' teenage years is an enjoyable - though inconsequential - work which blends old-fashioned British melodrama with the demands of a US summer blockbuster (Steven Spielberg is one of the co-producers), whilst simultaneously acknowledging its debt to previous Holmes movies (note the iconic 'shadow-on-cobblestones' during the opening credits, derived from a similar image featured in the Rathbone-Bruce movies of the 1940's). The script, by future director Chris Columbus (HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCEROR'S STONE), plays fair with audience expectations by setting Holmes on the trail of a shadowy villain who leaves a series of intriguing clues in his/her wake, and the entire production is sumptuously designed (by Norman Reynolds) and photographed (by Stephen Goldblatt). Vivid set-pieces include a number of frightening hallucinations suffered by the 'suicide' victims before they die (parents of younger children, take note), and there's a major plot development at the VERY END of the film. Of the younger cast members, only Cox makes much of an impression, playing Watson as a decent, loyal friend prone to juvenile weaknesses (in particular, a fondness for custard tarts!), while Sophie Ward is unable to make much of an underwritten role as Holmes' first - and only - sweetheart. Rowe's performance as Holmes lacks the zest and dynamism that might have lifted the movie out of the ordinary, and his blank-faced, emotionless characterization is the single most disappointing aspect of the entire production, though the supporting cast of familiar British thesps (including Freddie Jones, Anthony Higgins, Susan Fleetwood and Roger Ashton-Griffiths) does much to fill the void in Rowe's wake. Look out for some interesting names in the credits, including animatronics supervisor Stephen Norrington (later the director of BLADE and THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN) and computer animation technician John Lasseter (director of TOY STORY and A BUG'S LIFE). The print used for Paramount's DVD has a few stray speckles, and part of the image seems to 'flicker' slightly, easily spotted on larger monitors during stationary shots (cf. the shot at 00:05:30, particularly on the right hand side), but this visual blemish won't even register for most viewers. Sound quality is excellent, with extensive use of surrounds, though bass is somewhat lacking in the 5.1 version. There are no extras, not even a trailer. 108m 44s
1.85:1 / Anamorphically enhanced
DVD soundtracks: Dolby 5.1/Dolby Surround 2.0
Theatrical soundtrack: 6-track Dolby Stereo
Optional English subtitles and closed captions
Region 1
Rating:
Summary: Best adaptation of a young Holmes and Watson team
Review: At first i was apprehensive about how a Sherlock Holmes mystery adventure involving a teenage cast would be.But after reading the reviews and seeing the film my entire prescriptive about this movie and what it potrays changed.This movie gives a excellent descrition of how the Holmes and Watson team would have been had the two men meet as schoolboys.The movie is both well directed and well casted with some very talented young British actors.Both Holmes(Nichlos Rowe) and Watson (Alan Cox)were brilliant all the way fitting their respective roles perfectly and filling the movie with charachter and class although the role played by Sophie Ward as Holmes love intrest is a tad bit on the dissapointing side.However entire movie is well written,narrated and wonderfully set in typical Victorian England.It only a pity that the movie did not have a sequel especially after the brief ending scene following the credits.The music score by Bruce Brougton is soul steering and wonderful to listen to again and again.The Egyptian mystic touch in the movie adds to the intrigue and classic adventure plots.A must see for all fans of British drama and adventure and a must have for a lover and collector of Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: You can watch this over and over
Review: I remember seeing this when i was 10 years old in the theater and loved it. 18 years later it is a movie i can still watc hover and over. This movie did not get the credit it deserved! whatever happened to the actors of the movie? especially sophie ward who played elizabeth. she was great. nicholas rowe and alan cox did a good job as well as sherlock and watson.
Basically the plot is about a "Young sherlock holmes" meeting watson at school and his love interest elizabeth. along the way they happen to find a cult and set out to destroy it. The best thing about this besides the special effects is the acting! they should rerelease this in a few years for its 20 anniversary the same way they did E.T. highly recommended!!
Rating: 
Summary: It was ok!
Review: Having never read any of the Sherlock Holmes books or seen any of the movies with the adult Sherlock Holmes character I saw Young Sherlock Holmes in a movie theater back in 1985 and it was for the most part an ok movie and had a good cast but I found the ending disappointing but that was really the only thing that I disliked.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun film that has aged well. (But NOT for all ages)
Review: Fans of Harry Potter should check out this Victoriana fantasy ; in style and tone, they have much in common. They share the classic English boarding school setting, and are filled with magic and monsters, jaw-dropping sets, and wonderfully crusty and unusual British personalities. Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two Harry Potter movies, wrote the script for this bouncy marriage of a Sherlock Holmes detection story and an Indiana Jones-style cliffhangers. This odd combination received a lot of criticism when the film was first released, but ultimately the mixture of a Victorian detective story and an ancient Egyptian cult is charming and a lot of fun. Nicholas Rowe is perfect as the snotty, elegant young Sherlock Holmes, and Sophie Ward is absolutely radiant as his romantic interest. Alan Cox as Watson (a dead-ringer for Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry Potter) is less effective, but tolerable. The effects were groundbreaking in their time, featuring the first computer-generated characters -- animated by Pixar before they became a household word -- and still hold up nicely. They actually have more charm than most modern CGI effects. The film does suffer from slow patches and a premise that could have been pushed even further, but this is still a good family film and most older kids and adults interested in special effects should enjoy it. (Be warned, however: younger children may find parts too frightening.) Sadly, as far as extras goes, the DVD is "Elementary, my dear Watson": nothing, not even a trailer. That's a shame, since many special effects breaththroughs were made on this movies, such as the computer animated stained-glass window character, and early work from Pixar (yes, Pixar!) P.S.: Make sure you watch all the way through the end credits for the quick bonus scene.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I'll readily admit, here and now, hand on heart; I have never picked up a Sherlock Holmes book, never mind read one! I can tell you what I know about this: the author is Arthur Conan Doyle, and the names of the main characters are Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. That will get me far in a general knowledge quiz. Apart from that, I know nothing, and have no interest in the books. (Although, there is a Sherlock Holmes book based around the Titanic disaster by William B. Seil , and I want that!) So why did I watch this film? Arm pushed up behind my back; I was forced to watch it. OK, seriously, I was given it to watch, and I could have put off watching it, but I guess I was curious. And to my utter horror, I actually found myself enjoying it! Not enough to go out and start reading the books though. But from a novice's point of view, to know nothing about the books, and to enjoy the film on its own, without having read the books, is quite good. When you've read the book and go to see the film based on the book (or vice versa), you end up liking one or the other. I wouldn't necessarily go out and buy the books, or borrow one from the library. But I really did like the film. And I wasn't expecting to! The only thing that annoyed me about the film was the period of time it was set in. I know that's when it was supposed to be set, but the whole Victorian era just annoys me. The fashion, the little boys dressed up like old men, and the stupid way of talking. I loved the characters. The little Harry Potter lookalike (Alan Cox) who played Watson, Sophie Ward who played Elizabeth was beautiful, and Sherlock (Nicholas Rowe) - well, I couldn't really see it, until he put on that stupid coat, hat and put the pipe in his mouth in the last few scenes. It was also quite interesting to find out how the young Sherlock came across the items you would normally associate with Sherlock Holmes from the books. The daft-looking hat was from Elizabeth's uncle; the pipe is when Watson had to buy something in a shop; and the coat/cloak thing . . . Watch the film for yourself and find out. Directed by the wonderful director who did Rain Man, Barry Levinson couldn't quite live up to Rain Man, but has done a brilliant job. The (young) stars shine in this. If you're not a fan of Sherlock Holmes, don't worry. Look at me! Never read a book, and found myself enjoying it like any other film. Not really that much of a Christmas-y movie, until the end - apart from the snow on the ground of course!
| 
