Sherlock Gnomes (C- or 1.5/4 stars)
'Sherlock Gnomes' (directed by John Stevenson) is the follow-up to 2011's Gnomeo & Juliet and, this sequel probably wouldn't have been made had it not been for Elton John who executive produced once again. In this film, legendary sleuth Sherlock Gnomes (voiced by Johnny Depp) -- "sworn protector of garden gnomes" -- and his long-suffering partner, Watson (Chiwetel Ejiofor), investigate a plethora of gnome-nappings carried out by the villainous Moriarty (Jamie Demetriou). Moriarty is fatally wounded during a fight, and Sherlock & Watson believe that they've saved the day for good. Meanwhile, the garden gnomes from Gnomeo & Juliet move from the countryside (Stratford-Upon-Avon) to busy London, where they get settled in their new, though smaller garden.
After the group's 2 leaders, Lady Bluebury & Lord Redbrick (Maggie Smith, Michael Caine), announce their retirement, they nominate Gnomeo & Juliet (James McAvoy, Emily Blunt) as their successors. G & J disagree over the best way to lead and, before long, another outbreak of gnome-nappings puts their loving relationship to the test. After EVERYONE in the garden goes missing (including Julie Walter's Mrs. Montague & Ozzy Osbourne's Fawn), G & J coerce Sherlock to let them join his mission to figure out where all of London's gnomes have gone missing ... and why. Looking for clues, Sherlock visits a doll museum, where he runs into his ex, a vane Victorian doll named Irene Adler (voiced by Mary J. Blige), who breaks into a song-&-dance number, 'Stronger Than I Ever Was', {written by Elton John & Bernie Taupin}. Adventures ensue.
Aimed at little kids, this mildly amusing but mostly uninspiring sequel offers little that's new or exciting -- it just didn't do it for me. Depp voices the master of deduction with the right amount of arrogance. Chiwetel Ejiofor's Watson is appropriately patient. The entire cast is up to task, really -- and what a cast! McAvoy {always stellar}, Blunt {ditto}, Maggie Smith(!), Michael Caine(!), Julie Walters, Elton John {who has his own cameo as a pink, piano-playin' lawn ornament}, Mary J. Blige {coming off her Mudbound accolades}, the list goes on. The missing gnomes mystery is only diverting; not intriguing. And the subplot surrounding G & J's relationship falls very flat; especially considering how happy they were at the start of the story.
A lot of the 'jokes' & one-liners fell flat, were rude and/or would go over the heads of the kiddies. I mean, really. This movie is NOT for adults ... so why includes jokes, plot points & songs that might cater to the adults? As for the script itself ... bare-bones. I'm not saying it's awful ... but bare-bones. In trying to be a bit more positive, I'll say that: Blunt's Juliet displays courage. She makes mistakes & owns up to them. And she learns the true power of trust. Some of the music is fun. The animation is fine, if not remarkable {except for an imaginative black-&-white sequence}. Young children will likely enjoy this movie; even if there are more perilous scenes & frightening images. I just found the whole thing to be pretty flimsy & forgettable, overall.
After the group's 2 leaders, Lady Bluebury & Lord Redbrick (Maggie Smith, Michael Caine), announce their retirement, they nominate Gnomeo & Juliet (James McAvoy, Emily Blunt) as their successors. G & J disagree over the best way to lead and, before long, another outbreak of gnome-nappings puts their loving relationship to the test. After EVERYONE in the garden goes missing (including Julie Walter's Mrs. Montague & Ozzy Osbourne's Fawn), G & J coerce Sherlock to let them join his mission to figure out where all of London's gnomes have gone missing ... and why. Looking for clues, Sherlock visits a doll museum, where he runs into his ex, a vane Victorian doll named Irene Adler (voiced by Mary J. Blige), who breaks into a song-&-dance number, 'Stronger Than I Ever Was', {written by Elton John & Bernie Taupin}. Adventures ensue.
Aimed at little kids, this mildly amusing but mostly uninspiring sequel offers little that's new or exciting -- it just didn't do it for me. Depp voices the master of deduction with the right amount of arrogance. Chiwetel Ejiofor's Watson is appropriately patient. The entire cast is up to task, really -- and what a cast! McAvoy {always stellar}, Blunt {ditto}, Maggie Smith(!), Michael Caine(!), Julie Walters, Elton John {who has his own cameo as a pink, piano-playin' lawn ornament}, Mary J. Blige {coming off her Mudbound accolades}, the list goes on. The missing gnomes mystery is only diverting; not intriguing. And the subplot surrounding G & J's relationship falls very flat; especially considering how happy they were at the start of the story.
A lot of the 'jokes' & one-liners fell flat, were rude and/or would go over the heads of the kiddies. I mean, really. This movie is NOT for adults ... so why includes jokes, plot points & songs that might cater to the adults? As for the script itself ... bare-bones. I'm not saying it's awful ... but bare-bones. In trying to be a bit more positive, I'll say that: Blunt's Juliet displays courage. She makes mistakes & owns up to them. And she learns the true power of trust. Some of the music is fun. The animation is fine, if not remarkable {except for an imaginative black-&-white sequence}. Young children will likely enjoy this movie; even if there are more perilous scenes & frightening images. I just found the whole thing to be pretty flimsy & forgettable, overall.