Review of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) by Shawn W — 28 Sep 2007

There's no real Conan Doyle mystery here, the title is just a generic label to lure viewers. But there are still some interesting moments here and there despite the tepid nature of the plot.

Moriarty (apparently the only villain the Holmes ever faced) plans to steal the crown jewels from the Tower of London and sidetracks Holmes by leaving lots of red herrings in his wake. But he's clearly not going to be fooled for long.

Rathbone and Bruce are watchable, as always. But there's just something missing from this entry. It's all so twee and ordinary with no real moments of atmosphere. And the ending is a bit of a cop-out. Moriarty clearly dies but it's not really acknowledged and he ended up returning in a later instalment anyway. He might as well be a cartoon villain if that's their attitude.

At least it's set in the 19th century, unlike some of the later WWII propaganda Holmes movies.