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Parents' Guide to

Young Sherlock Holmes

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Exquisite idea, mediocre result, but OK for older kids.

Movie PG-13 1985 118 minutes
Young Sherlock Holmes Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 6 parent reviews

age 10+

Great Adventure for Kids!

I must have watched this movie hundreds of times as a kid. I just showed it to my 7 year old and he LOVED it. There are a few scary parts such as hallucinations and a young woman being sacrificed but I know my kid well enough to know that he could handle it and he did. I’m glad I showed it to him so he can enjoy it as much as I did. It also allowed us to talk about different subjects that we hadn’t before such as hallucinations, deductive reasoning, Egyptian religion, cults, etc. This movie is NOT appropriate for most 7 year olds but if you know your kid and know they can handle it, it’s a great option for an adventure that isn’t filled with racist messages (Indiana Jones), fat shaming (The Goonies), or sexism. Use your discretion.
1 person found this helpful.
age 13+

Great movie, ages 12-13 and up!

Tried watching with my ten-year old (she just turned ten a few months ago but is still listed as nine lol) We couldn't get through 15 minutes. Turned it off, but liked the beginning and watched the movie...Ages 13 & up I would definitely recommend. Great movie, but too scary for children under at least 12 years of age. Movie plot is great, and not a lot of bad language!

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (9 ):

Young Sherlock Holmes is not an awful movie; it just should have been so much better. The movie came out under the auspices of Steven Spielberg's production company, when other Hollywood directors were signing on to do Spielberg-like fantasies with the finest possible casts, imagination, and special effects. The title alone suggested a can't-miss property -- and yet for all the high hopes, Young Sherlock Holmes unfurls disappointingly, like old Indiana Jones. Yes, there's an elementary change in scenery and accents, but the cliffhanger stunts, cartoonish foreigners, black-magic stuff (all the more inconsequential because we find out it's all delusions), ludicrous temple-of-doom that, just like the Death Star, comes complete with a convenient self-destruct mode -- it doesn't take a you-know-who to deduce it was all swiped from other Lucas-Spielberg 1980s blockbusters.

Scriptwriter Chris Columbus was later to make the first few Harry Potter movies, and the early school scenes (complete with a Draco Malfoy-lookalike antagonist) do have a nice flavor and potential, before the hand-me-down thrill rides and the way-silly revenge scheme at the center of the mystery take over.

Movie Details

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