The Hound of the Baskervilles: Sherlock the Movie (2022)

The suspense keeps you hooked till the end

As soon as I completed Sherlock: The Untold Stories I added this movie to my watchlist and have been waiting patiently to watch Dean Fujioka and Iwata Takanori to reprise their role as Shishio and Wakamiya.

I have previously seen the English Movie The Hound of the Baskervilles along with the 2010 English series with Benedict Cumberbatch where one of the episodes deals with this mystery. So, I already had an inkling of what the storyline is and how the mystery will unfold. But when I started watching this is when I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it contains a different plotline and this piqued my interest. The story was fresh and the mystery kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time and what more can I ask for?

The story is about Shishio and Wakamiya going to a remote island to unravel the mystery of the death of a rich client and the curse of a black dog that haunts his family.

Dean Fujioka does a splendid job playing the eccentric Shishio (Sherlock) with the penchant for solving mysteries all the while having a cold exterior and a flair for showmanship when revealing the truth. Iwata Takanori was exceptional as Wakamiya (Watson), a doctor and friend of Shishio always available to help him try to solve the puzzles albeit being ridiculed by Shishio at every opportunity that he gets.

This 2-hour movie is well-paced and the story handled so well that it keeps you guessing until the very end. Don't give this one a miss if you enjoy mystery and suspense.

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I was bored!!!

I think I might be getting fed up with all these "classical" Sherlock Holmes versions. All of this has been seen so many times and the only originality here is that it takes place in Japan today. The rest is just The Hound of the Baskervilles. I am blessed in a way, since I usually do not remember the plot of these movies (and books - the same is with every Agatha Christie book: as soon as I finish the book, my brain refuses to retain the name of the culprit so it is always new! For me, at least!). So even though I have seen every other version of this story, I cannot remember the plot. All I remember is that it takes place in the countryside.
So that is the case here. There are a couple of murders and kidnappings, rich families and their secrets and an earthquake punishing everyone, one way or another.

Shishio and Wakamiya are back, more annoying than before. Shishio looks like he just came back from Afghanistan, wearing ample robes and looking scruffy and unkempt. Wakamiya is imagining himself a detective like SH but he is too pretty to be convincing so he just struts around, following Shishio and failing at being helpful. There is no more chemistry between them that made the series such a fun watch in the beginning. Shishio just seems bored and Wakamiya is just a lovely wallflower!

What I loved was the cinematography: beautiful shots of mountainous and misty island, scary mine shafts and subdues colours verging towards grey, cold tones! And the music! Something special. The background score evolved as the story progressed, from the cello grating noise to the sweeping orchestral pieces to the final credits beautiful song, "lullaby" by YU-KA.

Last but not least, thank you eveychooey for the subs! I do not regret watching this: having these excellent subs just added to the pleasure of discovering a new exciting movie!

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