In 2011 the world of Shakespeare was turned upside down with the animated feature Gnomeo and Juliet. Now they are returning to the world of the Gnomes but this time taking on the famed detective with Sherlock Gnomes featuring the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp, Mary J. Blige, and Michael Caine. Could this silly animated comedy bring something new to the Sherlock Holmes mythology or will it get buried in the garden?
Sherlock Gnomes follows Gnomeo and Juliet who discover their friends and family have gone missing, and there’s only one gnome to call – the legendary detective Sherlock Gnomes. Working together, the mystery takes them beyond the garden walls and across the city on an unforgettable journey to save the day and bring the gnomes home. I was not a fan of Gnomeo and Juliet so obviously had little interest in checking this one out, but decided to give a chance and keep an open mind. While it is not great, I still enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.
The addition of the Sherlock Holmes story I think made it a lot more exciting and more interesting than the previous. It could have to do with my love of all things Johnny Depp who does a great job at voicing Gnomes, but who knows. The story isn’t overly complicated and outside the clever use of the varying Gnomes it really doesn’t offer up anything all that new. There are some laughs and the animation is great, but as a whole it didn’t offer much up to me that really stood out. That doesn’t make it bad, but just average. For those that love the original they will no doubt have a great time with this one as well.
In addition to the film this release offers bonus content including featurettes that take you behind bringing this film to the big screen and the voices behind it. Grab your copy of Sherlock Gnomes available now on Digital HD and then on Blu-ray and DVD on June 12th from Paramount Home Entertainment.
Review by Bobby Blakey - Bobby reviews way more movies on his own website than the genre-specific ones I post here. Check out Bobby's awesome website and his live show he co-hosts with his wife, Drusilla, at Hollywood Matrimony.
