I’ve never been much of a huge reader. I remember having to write book reports back in the day and stumbling on to a series of Sherlock Holmes books. After my first book, I was pretty hooked. Sherlock was an amazing character and I was fascinated by how he could figure out so much from just the smallest details. The only movies about him that I can remember were the PBS films where he was a skinny wierd looking dude in a double billed hat puffing on a pipe. Fast forward to the present and Guy Ritchie has recreated the Holmes mythos for a whole new generation of moviegoers. Add in Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes, Jude Law as his faithful partner Dr. Watson, and a Christmas Day release and you have the potential makings of a great movie experience.
This film, while not without its weakpoints, is a fun thrill ride from start to finish. Director Guy Ritchie, best know for films like ‘Snatch’ and ‘Lock, Stock, and 2 Smoking Barrels, does a great job of modernizing Holmes while keeping him grounded in his native Victorian era. Perhaps one of the most noticeable differences is that this Sherlock is very well versed in all forms of combat. At first I thought it was a bit of a gimmick to make the movie more action oriented, but the way it was handled is excellent. Holmes is methodical in each of his attacks, often thinking out his plan of attack before executing it. Downey makes this entirely believable as you see Holmes’ genius as it applies to combat.
Jude Law as Dr. Watson is excellent as well. Previous characterizations always pictured Watson as an overweight bumbling sidekick whose only purpose was to give Holmes a reason to explain his brilliant conclusions to. Law’s character is none of these things and yet he is so much more. He is, in many ways, Sherlock’s equal. You really get to see him function more as a partner than as a sidekick. Perhaps what makes this movie work the best is the chemistry between Downey and Law. In fact, the two complement each other perfectly. Watson is the ying to Holmes’ yang. From the opening of the movie that foreshadows the end of their partnership, it is instantly clear just how much the two complement one another whether they realize it or not.
As good as this movie is, it is far from perfect. Rachel McAdams gets top billing as American hustler Irene Adler, a former flame of Sherlock’s. While McAdams is a great actress in most of her films, she seems a bit underutilised in this movie. Her performance isn’t bad, I just expected a bit more from her. In the grand scheme of things, this is fairly minor. The biggest problem with this movie is that the mystery that the plot is built around is so weak. What was great about the Sherlock Holmes stories was that the mysteries were so ingenious that it would take a super genius to solve, which is exactly what Holmes is. The mystery is this film is very Scooby Doo-esque. It almost seems like it was written in reverse. they found a crazy solution and thought- how could we turn this into a mystery plot. For a series known for the complexity of its puzzles, this film definitely falls short.
Overall, this is a good film that will keep you well entertained throughout. Downey and Law are excellent and their interactions definitely make the movie. McAdams is decent but she looks amazing. While I did feel a bit cheated at the end when Holmes was explaining how he solved the various mysteries in the case, the movie as a whole was still very good. There is also some foreshadowing at the end, alluding to a possible future appearance by Sherlock’s famous nemesis Dr. Moriarty. This is similar to last year’s Dark Knight, in which the Joker was briefly alluded to in the first film and then the second film was made and it completely blew the first, already excellent, film out of the water. I’m hoping the same thing will happen here if Ritchie is signed on to direct the sequel. Bottom line is this is a good film and perhaps Downey fans best chance to get a fix until Iron Man 2 drops in May.
