Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opened this past weekend to an underwhelming box-office presence and mixed but positive reviews. Warner Bros. was already reeling from a horrendous debut of its ensemble holiday rom-com New years eve proving once and for all that no one should ever make ensemble holiday rom-com’s of any kind. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows still ranked #1 at the weekend box office leading Hollywood to believe that people are cramming all of their holiday shopping in rather than seeing movies. Most criticisms of the film arose mainly from it’s slight affinity for senseless action, and Robert Downey Jr. being an ex-coke-head-hooker-junkie portraying one of the most beloved literary intellectuals of all time. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s most infamous and cunning villain Professor James Moriarty serves as the primary antagonist in the film and does a great job at that. Indeed the film becomes a very intriguing battle between two powerful intellectuals (Inventor vs. Mastermind), culminating in a deadly chess match. Despite being a former cocaine addict, Robert Downey Jr. actually does quite well in portraying Sherlock Holmes, as Holmes was actually a bit of a cocaine addict himself. Downey said he had researched the role much more this time around, further bridging the gap between him being a blazing Artisan portraying a brilliant Rational. Criticisms aside Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is packed with action, romance, bromance, intellectualism, plenty of pipe-smoking, deadly chess matches, and smelly french gypsies so let’s go ahead and take a look at the dynamic deductive duo of Holmes and Watson.
Sherlock Holmes is a London-based private detective world renowned for his astute logical reasoning, his skills in the art of disguise, and his use of forensic science to solve cases. Holmes prides himself on his ability to successfully draw large conclusions from minuscule observations. Holmes is described by his dear friend Watson as ‘Bohemian‘: a very eccentric man “with no regard for contemporary standards“. “What appears to others as chaos, however, is to Holmes a wealth of useful information.” Indeed Holmes finds solving complex problems highly stimulating, and has an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Certainly Sherlock Holmes‘ innovative attitude causes him to bend the truth and rules quite often, all of course on behalf of solving cases. While Holmes’ demeanor often comes across as that of a distant or cold intellectual, while in the midst of an interesting adventure Holmes is capable of remarkable passion and can even display a flair for showmanship. Highly eccentric, extremely intellectual, possessing an innovative attitude and entrepreneurial spirit Sherlock Holmes is the quintessential Inventor Rational. Indeed Holmes‘ often relies on his talent for improvisation and expedient action, as do most Inventors, a habit that often gets him into trouble. Not to worry though, as Inventors like Holmes’ entrepreneurial spirit often miraculously gets them out of the jams they put themselves in. However, so does his dear friend Watson.
Doctor John H. Watson is Holmes’ faithful companion and trusty sidekick, and also Holmes‘ dearest and oldest friend. Watson chronicles the majority of Holmes’ professional ventures, and is the narrator in most of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s novels. Watson is described as a capable and brave companion to Holmes, while also serving as a skilled sharpshooter and a talented doctor and surgeon. Though the two companions have a close relationship, Holmes’ often appears to abuse Watson and take him for granted. Watson often attempts to solve crimes on his own using Holmes’ method, with moderate success. Though Watson never masters Holmes’ deductive methods, he is astute enough to follow his good friends line of reasoning. Watson essentially serves as solid and consistent moral and physical support for his dear friend Sherlock Holmes. Extremely dependable, highly attentive, and overwhelmingly patient serving as a great source of strength and stability for Holmes Doctor John Watson is undoubtedly an Inspector Guardian. Indeed Watson puts up with quite a bit from his dear friend Sherlock Holmes, but offers thoroughness, detail, legality, and order to compliment the innovative talents of his esteemed colleague.
Guardians are comfortable with the Rationals’ skeptical attitude and obsession with their work, which seem very much like their own pessimism and sense of duty; they often admire the NTs ingenuity, which is such a reach from their own reliance on by-the-book routine. Please Understand Me II, p. 227-228
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows can be seen at a theater near you.
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
Holmes was a man of habits… and I had become one of them… a comrade… upon whose nerve he could place some reliance… a whetstone for his mind. I stimulated him… If I irritated him by a certain methodical slowness in my mentality, that irritation served only to make his own flame-like intuitions and impressions flash up the more vividly and swiftly. Such was my humble role in our alliance.
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