I always hate to see great little movies swept under the carpet by an uninterested audience. That was how I felt about “Young Sherlock Holmes” when it was first released in theatres in 1985, and how I still feel about it now. It was one of those rare films that was so entertaining that I ended up seeing it 6 times in the theatre and bought the soundtrack the day after the first viewing. What I couldn’t understand was why the theatre was often nearly empty every time I went. Written by Chris Columbus (who has gone on to direct the Harry Potter films) and directed by Barry Levinson, “Young Sherlock Holmes” serves up a ‘what if’ scenario of Sherlock Holmes meeting Dr. Watson in school and embarking on their first adventure. Columbus took elements from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and created an intelligent and charming supposition.

Nicholas Rowe did a splendid job as the young Holmes. His calm and quiet demeanor, along with his lanky frame, made me believe he would, indeed, grow up to become Basil Rathbone. Alan Cox, the son of actor Brian Cox, was also great as the young Watson. The only odd thing about this pairing (and mind you this is the ONLY nit about the film) was that Watson was younger than Holmes. In Doyle’s books, Watson is decidedly older.

Part of what made this film so great, aside from the terrific performances by all the cast, were all of the recognizable facets of the older Holmes that are alluded to. We find out where he got his trademark hat, coat and pipe. We see him struggling with his violin (that he really should have mastered after only three days), as well as dealing with tragedies that explain some of the demons that haunt the adult Holmes. There are just so many little touches that just make the film, but if I tell you any more I’d be hitting spoiler territory.

One of the things you might not expect from this film is that it has some great special effects work. Much more than you would think. Part of the storyline involves a hallucinatory drug, so you can just imagine the possibilities. There is even one creature design done by the then unknown Pixar Animation gurus. Actually, thinking back on the film, I can almost see the makings of a Harry Potter movie. The look and style is very similar, which I’m sure has a lot to do with Columbus’ contributions to the film.

When I saw that Paramount was finally releasing a DVD of “Young Sherlock Holmes” I just about did a back flip. It is one of those movies that deserve to be seen, and perhaps this release will give it a new lease on life and introduce it to a whole new generation of Holmes fans. I’m only sorry to see that the release itself is devoid of any behind the scenes featurettes. I guess it wasn’t initially popular enough to warrant the expense of producing extra features.

Aside from that, the DVD looks and sounds terrific. It is a fairly dark film in places and I never had any problems making out the details of the scenes.

“Young Sherlock Holmes” is a movie not to be missed, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. And there is one important little note I would like to add. If you watch the movie, be sure to watch it all the way past the end of the credits. You’ll be glad you did.

Directed by: Barry Levinson
Starring: Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward
Extras: None
Specifications: Widescreen Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English Dolby Surround
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 12/2/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Website

We'll give Young Sherlock Holmes an A.