Starring James McAvoy, Emily Blunt and Johnny Depp, "Sherlock Gnomes" is the sequel to "Gnomeo and Juliet," a movie about talking garden gnomes. The plot of the sequel is based on the disappearance of multiple garden gnomes around London, and the one man (gnome?) who can solve the mystery: Sherlock Gnomes.
"Sherlock Gnomes" offers an easy-to-follow introduction to important literary characters. A lot of the movie was pulled from the Sherlock Holmes books, adding to the depth and accuracy of the plot line. Considering this is a movie for kids, this unconventional method of introducing iconic literary characters makes classic literature more attractive and tangible for youngsters.
However, I'm not certain this movie is as captivating for adults. The exaggerated explanation of plot lines, although necessary for kids, was dull. The multiple dragged-out plot lines that bounce between each other rapidly felt like a technique to keep youngsters engaged. That kind of choppy pacing is annoying for me, but possibly necessary for the little ones.
"Sherlock Gnomes" was colorful and cute, but tacky and unsurprising. I rate this movie a 2/5. Don’t waste your money on a ticket, but if a kid drags you to it, it won’t be the worst experience of your life.
