I saw Sherlock Holmes last night and liked it. (I liked the Iron Man preview even better but who wouldn’t?) Jude Law did a good job for his part even though I never pictured him as the Watson type and Robert Downey Jr looked his usual crazed self which worked well for the role of Sherlock. It is possible that I’m too interested in Harry Potter but everytime they talked about Lord Blackwood I thought they were going to say Lord Voldemort. He even looked a bit like Voldemort with his smooth face and slicked back hair.

The pace of the movie is quick and sometimes that makes it hard to follow but Holmes almost always explains what he was doing (or is about to do) at a more reasonable pace so if you see the movie try to accept the fast pace as a cinematic delight instead of an annoyance — you won’t be lost for long.

You can see on imdb.com that there is an ‘Untitled Sherlock Holmes Sequel’ in the works so you won’t be surprised that the ending of this movie is a set up for that.

I’d recommend this movie if you like Sherlock Holmes, mysteries or any of the actors as they all do good jobs.

To some up a review in six words: Boo you, James Cameron. Boo you.

This is what we’ve been waiting over a decade for. Sheesh!

Avatar is a visually stunning feast for the eyes with special effects that dazzle and amaze but also become completely immerse the audience in another world of amazement. The 3D effects soon blend into the background along with most of the other computer wizardry allowing the viewer to focus on the story that takes place in this fantastic foreign world. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of a story to tell. If you have ever seen Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest, Dances with Wolves, or any episode of “Captain Planet and the Planeteers” then you shouldn’t even bother showing up for Avatar.

This is story that we have been told over and over and over again. The White Man menace is destroying the environment, this time the environment of another planet. The EEE-vil humans are no longer connected to the natural world and therefore want to destroy it to obtain the elusive (and expensive) UNOBTAINIUM. (snicker; not joking) The native species on this alien world are so in touch with nature that their pony tails are actually environmental USB ports that can plug in to any plant or animal in the world. They can talk to nature in a very literal sense. An ex-marine is recruited to come to this alien world. Technology has been developed that allows him to experience the world through an artificial alien. He can run and jump and see and talk and become this alien while remaining safe inside the controller bed. From here every point of the story can be seen coming a mile away (and in 3D!). The characters are paper-thin constructs with no depth and little emotional connection to the audience. There is no inner turmoil or mystery as to what choice someone will make. The good guys make the good choices and the bad guys make the bad choices. Every time.

Sam Worthington plays the central character in this story but does only a passable job in the role. Granted, there wasn’t much to the role, but he is not exceptional in it. His Australian accent repeatedly slips through and reminds us that this is just an actor. Sigourney Weaver channels her Gorillas in the Mist role but gives us nothing new or surprising. Most other actors are nothing more than broad generalizations.

The movie’s central idea that White Men destroy the world and that native cultures are in tune with the environment, live in harmony with nature, and cry for every tree or animal that dies is ridiculous and racist. An Average Joe is given the chance to become a native and live like the natives while remaining safe and secure in the modern world. This environmentalist dream of becoming a perfect native but remaining safe in the world of steel and electronics must be the unconscious wish of James Cameron and those that share his world view but is obviously a dream held by those that have no real connection with nature. This is the kind of dream that people have who love the idea of nature but don’t like being in nature. They love to see pictures of a pristine and untouched world but would never actually travel to such a place. They give money to charities to protect nature but would never hike into the wilderness and live off the land. The movie ends with the perfect dream of assuaging White Guilt: passing through nature to become a perfect native person and leaving your imperfect and destructive White body behind. Attaining perfection by becoming all-natural.

The story is what really makes this movie fall apart. It is a truly terrible story. The world is a poorer place for this story existing. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.

I am not exaggerating to say that the movie ends with everyone sitting around a tree, holding hands, and singing “Kumbaya”. Boo you, James Cameron. Boo you!

One of the more intriguing trailers to come out recently is the teaser for the new Buck Rogers in the 25th Century movie. The trailer features a retro rocket racing across a sunset sky. (How’s that for an awesome sentence!) If the rest of the film has the quality retro design of the 30-second teaser, than the movie could be a fun sci-fi flick with all the fun of Flash Gordon but without all the cheese.

Hopefully they don’t completely fall off the end and go for the Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow route. It was fun but lacked the direction and focus to tell a complete story. Serials were great as serials. Forcing the erratic locations changes of a serial onto a modern feature gave Sky Captain an unfocused feel.

Here’s hoping for a great retro sci-fi.

Oh, and PS. Don’t do retro like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Make it actually good.