Sherlock Gnomes - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Sherlock Gnomes

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
I don’t think any of us were exactly screaming for a sequel to the 2011 animated film Gnomeo and Juilet. It was a cute little family film about star crossed gnomes, and was rather punny by nature, but not exactly the type of fare that really begged for a theatrical release. Especially one that comes 7 years after the mild furor over the original has subsided. Well, we got one anyways, as all of the original cast are back with an all new MYSTERY character (*oops, I think the title gave it a way just a little bit)! Sadly, the mild entertainment of the first movie is concluded with a fairly abysmal second film that fails to capture even the small amount of magic that Gnomeo and Juliet was privy to. There are a few jokes, some decent puns, but overall this is a pretty boring movie, even for my young wards that were watching this viewing session.

Sherlock Gnome (Johnny Depp) has finally defeated his arch nemesis, Moriarty (Jamie Demetiou), freeing up London for garden gnomes everywhere. However, the good detective misses the dance between hero and villain, and his life is a bit more boring than it once was. Simultaneously, a new family movies into the garden gnomes home, and the gnomes are horrified at the state of disarray their home has become. Gnomeo (James McAvoy) and Juliet (Emily Blunt) are given the task as group leaders, but soon fall into squabbling about how things are going to be run. While the two lovebirds are off arguing all of their friends mysteriously vanish into thin air. With no idea where to being, Gnomeo and Juliet seek help from the only gnome who can track down their missing friends. The one, the only, Sherlock Gnome!

Sherlock Gnome is moderately entertaining on a basic level, but it doesn’t strive to be anything more than that. Which turns out to be a good AND a bad thing. One one hand, the movie really doesn’t try to pretend and be some amazing Disney film. It just relishes the fact that it’s a simple children’s movie. On the other hand, it doesn’t even try to be that entertaining either. The puns are kind of worn out from the first movie, and the plot a fairly derivative rehash of the first adventure, just with a new main character in the shape of Sherlock.

The movie is severely let down by a great cast of voice actors and no direction. Depp, Blunt, McAvoy, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Eijofor, James Hong, all great actors who SHOULD be able to put out a quality product. However, there’s very little direction in the film, and the movie meanders around resting squarely on the laurels of punny jokes and flashy colors. Flow is solid, with the characters running through the stereotypical adventures and different locations to find their pals, and the animation is actually quite lovely for the low budget film it was (even though it is NOT a DTV flick some sources were reporting initially). The mayhem and adventure was enough to moderately satisfy the kiddie winks during this watch, but there is quite a bit aimed at the adult audiences. Especially different locations and locals around the city of London.

The movie is really meant for kiddos, and on that plane is does decently well. Most 6-8 years olds should be captivated by the shiny colors and happy adventures, but those younger and older than that age bracket may find themselves completely bored by the exercise in futility. I can’t fault the creators for trying, but amid a whole plethora of animated films that ascribe to be MORE than just an 86 minute babysitter for the young tykes, then it’s a bit of a harder sell.




Rating:

Rated PG for some rude and suggestive humor.




Video:

While the film itself may not be a winner, the 1080p Blu-ray encode certainly is. It just goes to show just how easy it is to make a great looking picture with good encoding methods and modern CGI. The Gnomes are appropriately complex and well detailed throughout the film, with differing lines, shades and movements that give them a really lifelike feel. The colors are bright and well saturated, with tons of primary shades as the heavy styling for the film. The red of Juliet’s hat, or the luscious greens of the garden pop off the page, while the darker sequences show almost no sights of problems (besides the typical color banding that shows up in Blu-rays). It’s a great looking encode, and one that really does shine as the bitrate is high (a smattering of extras and an 86 minute movie makes it easy to do that), allowing me to give this encode two solid thumbs up.





Audio:

Given a 7.1 DTS-HD MA track Sherlock Gknomes is a great sounding mix, but one that doesn’t completely utilize the spaciousness of a 7.1 mix. The adventure film is action packed, with plenty of surround usage, but a large chunk of the movie still resides up in the front of the room. The dialog is crisply detailed, and the balance amount the channels is impeccable. LFE manages to be punchy and energetic without really making you leap out of your seat in terror, but it is ample enough. Most of the surround activity has to do with ambient noises as the trio search for their missing friends, but there’s some cool activity in the heart of London that spices things up a bit too.






Extras:

• Gnome is Where the Heart is
• All Roads Lead to Gnome: London Locations in Sherlock Gnome
• Gnome Wasn't Built in a Day: The Design and art of Sherlock Gnome
• Miss Gnomer: Mary J. Blige and the Music of Sherlock Gnomes
• Stronger than I ever was
• How to Draw
• Animating Sherlock Gnome

Final Score: ​

I really wouldn’t be too worried about a third film to complete a trilogy, as Sherlock Gnome made almost $100 million LESS than it’s predecessor with nearly double its budget. A humbling blow to Paramount’s usually successful animated department. *Gasp! Whatever will we do!? OK, I’m hamming up my frustration with the movie a bit, but you get my drift. Sherlock Gnome failed at most everything it set out to be, besides being an 86 minute babysitter to the younger tykes. The animation and Blu-ray encode is excellent, and the audio quite striking at times, but this can’t make up for a bungled movie and a weak array of extras. Skip It.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Emily Blunt, Kelly Asbury, Mary J. Blige
Directed by: John Stevenson
Written by: Ben Zazove, Andy Riley, Kathy Greenberg, Emily Cook, Kevin Cevil
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, German, Spanish, French, French (Canadian), Italian, Dutch, Portuguese DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Rated: PG
Runtime: 86 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: June 12th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Skip It

 

[Asere]

Thanks for the review. I did not care for Gnomeo and Juliet and don't care to see this one. I will however rent it for the kids or wait for it on Netflix/Prime.

 

[Michael Scott]

the things we do for our kids

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will skip this one.