“Holmes & Watson” Movie Review

    Comedy is a very subjective thing.  What makes a film good is also a very subjective thing.  That being said, it seemed like almost every professional critic was in agreement on one thing, “Holmes & Watson” was hot garbage, a dumpster fire of epic proportions.  The way critics made the movie sound, they would rather look inside the Ark of the Covenant than watch “Holmes & Watson” again.  I began to wonder, could it really be that bad?  The reviews managed to keep me away from the film in theaters, but home video was another story.

    The film has a fairly simple premise, it is basically just a comedic take on a Sherlock Holmes story.  Detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson must investigate a murder at Buckingham Palace before Holmes’ long time nemesis Professor James Moriarty can kill his next target, the Queen of England.  Naturally, hijinks by the pair end up causing some trouble as the duo must race to stop Moriarty before it is too late.

    “Holmes & Watson” had been in the works for a little while and reunited frequent on screen collaborators Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.  Ferrell and Reilly have extremely good chemistry and play off each other very well (yes, even in this film).  Though this film doesn’t reach the comedic heights of “Step Brothers” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”, it still provides enough laughs to entertain most audience members in my humble opinion.  While it certainly won’t go down as a comedy classic, I have seen a great deal of other comedic films fall flat without even providing a few chuckles.

    After a hot streak like few comedians accomplish, it seemed like critics decided to bury Will Ferrell and everything he did.  Will Ferrell did pump out a few bad movies (::cough::  “Kicking and Screaming”. ::cough::) but he has rebounded some of late and for the most part, critics seem to still be rather dismissive of the funnyman.  Will Ferrell joins fellow actor Johnny Depp in being almost hip to hate at the moment no matter what he does.

    I am, for better or worse, not a “professional” movie critic and I just try to write me reviews from the heart.  I am still a huge Will Ferrell fan and I am not ashamed to admit that.  As long as Ferrell is being silly and having a good time, I end up having a good time.  Perhaps due to this, I could not hate “Holmes and Watson”.  I also loved the little nod to “House, M.D.” being a modern take on Sherlock Holmes by having Hugh Laurie cameo.  Speaking of cameos, I am also a WWE fan and it was cool seeing Braun Strowman appear in the film.

    Now, perhaps my love for Will Ferrell (and John C. Reilly for that matter) might be more than others share as it was reported that the film was shopped to Netflix before a theatrical release and that the streaming giant passed on the film.  I am curious what other average movie goers thought of the movie considering it seemed like very few people actually did.  Perhaps I am in a very small minority in not hating this film, but it made me laugh and that should be a comedy’s main job in my opinion.

Grade: C+

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” Movie Review

    “Wreck-It Ralph” was one of the more enjoyable non Pixar Disney releases over the last decade.  The film introduced the lovable protagonist Ralph who happened to be the antagonist in his own game.  The film dealt with self worth and the importance of non glamorous jobs.  It was a film both adults and children could connect with.  Unfortunately, the same can’t be completely said about it’s sequel, “Ralph Breaks the Internet”.
    Now, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” isn’t a bad film.  The story of the film is actually pretty original and enjoyable.  I liked that they went a different direction with the story.  A lot of sequels try to make a carbon copy of the first film and this film did not.  It tried to tell a different story of morality but that was also part of the problem I had with the film.  The film, at it’s core, deals with having to let go of someone you love if it’s better for them.  While this is something we all have to deal with, it makes the film feel somewhat depressing.  So the film’s theme ultimately feels too adult for most children yet the animation might be too childish for some adults.  I did like that the film was ambitious enough to try a different tone.
    Unlike the first film, the jokes in this film didn’t always land.  Maybe it was because most of the jokes tied into product placements which this movie was filled with.  I am talking obvious product placement as well which is something that shouldn’t be so in your face in a kid’s movie.  I was well aware of eBay before this movie but if I wasn’t, I would sure be now.  “Ralph Breaks the Internet” feels more like a commercial half the time over a real film.
    Luckily for this film, the characters were extremely lovable and this film, despite it’s faults, didn’t hurt that.  Just catching up with the characters was refreshing and worth the price of admission.  The voice cast once again helps add to the character’s charm.  John C Reilly and Sarah Silverman have great chemistry and sound as if they were friends for years.
   “Ralph Breaks the Internet” doesn’t live up to the first movie but is worth a watch.  Just be aware that this movie deals with serious themes that children might not have much interest in.  The film also has kind of a bummer ending for an animated film.  Ultimately, I feel like this movie was worth the admission but perhaps not all the praise it received.

Grade: C+