Steven Spielberg’s Forgotten Sherlock Holmes Movie Is Still the Most Important Sci-Fi Film Ever

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Few fictional characters remain as well-known today. Sherlock Holmes, the “consulting detective” created by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, is incredibly iconic—his first name has become almost synonymous with investigation, often used jokingly. Almost a century after the character’s creation, Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment made Young Sherlock Holmes. I first encountered the character through this film as a child, but my fondness for it isn’t the reason I consider it to be one of the most important science fiction movies ever made.

As a lifelong movie fan, I’ve always thought about the roots of the superhero genre, and it’s fascinating to consider Sherlock Holmes as a very early example. Doyle created so many stories, and the character is everywhere in pop culture – there are countless adaptations across all kinds of media. In fact, Prime Video even greenlit a new series based on some novels from a few years ago. But for me, it all started with Young Sherlock Holmes. I was the ideal age for those Amblin adventures – kids facing danger and saving the world – and that movie really stuck with me. But it wasn’t just nostalgia that made it memorable. While some of the effects now seem a little dated, there was one scene that absolutely blew my young mind. It wasn’t just cool at the time; it was actually a breakthrough. That scene proved what was possible with computer-generated effects, paving the way for everything we see in blockbusters today – from the Star Wars prequels to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Path to Young Sherlock Holmes Started with Spielberg, George Lucas, and Pixar

The story begins with the Pixar computer, developed starting in 1974. In 1979, George Lucas hired the team at Industrial Light & Magic. While early computer-generated imagery, like that in the 1982 film Tron, wasn’t realistic, Edwin Catmull explained in a documentary that computers at the time didn’t have enough power to create truly lifelike images. To fund further development, ILM sold the first Pixar computer for $100,000 each. However, Lucas wasn’t interested in animation – the Pixar team’s true passion – so he sold the company to Steve Jobs. ILM then continued to develop the technology further.

Initially, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) only created visual effects for films directed by George Lucas or his close collaborators, such as Steven Spielberg. They began accepting outside projects when other studios started requesting their services. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan included the first completely computer-generated scene in a movie, although the graphics weren’t realistic by today’s standards. ILM developed a computer simulation to depict the effects of the “Genesis device” on a planet. While those images look quite dated now, they were groundbreaking for the film’s futuristic world and were unlike anything audiences had ever seen. Surprisingly, even the two gray control panels flanking the demonstration screen in that scene were created using computer graphics.

Lucas was eager to explore digital filmmaking, covering everything from shooting the movie to adding special effects and editing it all together. While some artists still favored traditional methods, practical effects had largely stalled between the 1980s and 1990s. The team at Pixar was focused on animation, but Lucas envisioned using that technology at ILM to seamlessly combine computer-generated imagery with live-action footage. He believed that once digital effects technology improved enough, the only limits would be budget and time. To prove this concept, however, they needed a first project to test the technology.

The Stained Glass Knight from Young Sherlock Holmes Was a Massive Cinema Moment

Despite often getting a bad rap, the film Young Sherlock Holmes is a creative and fun adventure in the style of classic Amblin films. It reimagines Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as childhood friends meeting at a London boarding school. The story includes a romance for Sherlock with Elizabeth Hardy, the niece of his mentor, but tragedy strikes as both characters meet their end. Sherlock’s intelligence creates enemies, like a classmate named Dudley and their fencing teacher, Professor Rathe. The central mystery involves what seems to be a cursed Egyptian artifact, and it’s eventually revealed that Professor Rathe is the villain, using poisoned darts to induce terrifying hallucinations as part of his scheme.

The film cleverly uses imagination to bring the impossible to life. Early on, a priest has a hallucination of a knight made of stained glass coming to life, and because it’s a fantastical image, the special effects don’t feel jarringly fake. Seeing it as a child, I experienced the same wonder and excitement that audiences felt when they first saw Star Wars in theaters. Even after 40 years, I’m amazed by how John Lasseter and the team at ILM made something so unreal feel…believable, or as believable as a creature made of glass could be.

The film Young Sherlock Holmes was a first in many ways. Notably, it ended by revealing that the villain, Rathe, had survived and would become known as Moriarty. Despite being a box office hit, the movie never got a sequel. Personally, it sparked my interest in the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Watson, presenting them with a science fiction twist. However, the film’s lasting impact lies in its groundbreaking use of computer-generated imagery – specifically, a stained glass knight. Considering the movie also used classic animation techniques like stop-motion and puppetry, the CG knight stands out even more. This wasn’t just about what CG could become; it signaled a clear shift in how movies were made.

Young Sherlock Holmes Was the Springboard to the Modern Miracles of Digital VFX

A hugely influential director was closely watching Young Sherlock Holmes, particularly a challenging scene requiring a water-based effect. He later shared in Light & Magic that the best solution involved combining a stop-motion model with footage of actual flowing water. Dennis Muren at ILM actively sought the opportunity, proposing CGI as a key element. However, James Cameron was initially unsure. Young Sherlock Holmes acted as a test case for ILM, and successfully tackling its effects would help pave the way for even more complex work on The Abyss.

James Cameron was fully convinced of the potential of computer-generated effects, and he returned to ILM to create the groundbreaking visuals for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, particularly the T-1000. Despite this success, and his work as a producer on Young Sherlock Holmes, Steven Spielberg was still hesitant about using CG extensively. While there were initial limitations, the team had bigger ambitions. Two ILM animators secretly worked on a moving CGI T-Rex in their spare time, and casually displayed it on a monitor. Spielberg, producer Kathleen Kennedy, and others noticed it, and the rest, as they say, is history. Jurassic Park marked the first time ILM created such a dynamic and detailed creature using CGI, and it was the second time visual effects truly amazed me.

As a lifelong movie fan, it’s wild to think it’s been 40 years since Young Sherlock Holmes came out. VFX has come so far! I remember when creating a fully CGI character for TV was a huge deal – something that took years and a big budget. Then we got characters like King Shark, and even episodes where multiple CGI characters were battling it out. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law sometimes had four CG characters on screen at once! It’s easy for newer viewers to take all this for granted, but I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced movies when I did. Thinking back to Young Sherlock Holmes, Jurassic Park, and those other groundbreaking films… even ‘bad’ CGI feels special and magical to me now. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come and how much those early effects meant.

You can find the movie Young Sherlock Holmes on DVD, Blu-ray, and for digital purchase or rental. It’s also available to stream on Pluto TV. Meanwhile, Guy Ritchie’s new Sherlock Holmes series is still being made.

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2025-11-02 05:09