Sherlock Holmes

sherlock-holmesFrom the opening moments, I was mesmerized by the complete immersion into period England. It was rough, gritty, and real. Even the elegant, upper scale elements bear the scars of how difficult life must have been.

Set design and production quality aside, I am not sure how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would appreciate the depiction of his beloved characters, but Guy Ritchie has done a decent job of keeping one foot on the proper road without taking a complete dive into Hollywood over indulgence.

Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and Watson (Jude Law) spend a bit too much time waffling between an ersatz homosexual relationship and dysfunctional. Their codependency is brought to the forefront with Watson’s intention to marry the lovely Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly). Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) portrays the interest to Holmes, and the only person to have ever bested him. Twice. Irene is strong, intelligent and capable, but has been swept up in the plot to undo Mr. Holmes ability to do what he does best. Never once does she revert to the stereotypical helpless female, which plagues too many movies these days.

RDJ does a very compelling job of walking the tightrope that separates intelligence and hyper observance (almost to the point of annoyance) from sheer insanity. Holmes appears to be on the edge of becoming a complete madman. Only to be held back by Watson and the case he is currently immersed in. When his mind has nothing to focus on, Holmes dedicates time to investigating how flies respond to different sound patterns. Relegating Law’s Watson to a purely historical sidekick status would be unfair.

The great sleuths find themselves investigating the black arts in the form of Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), who literally rises from the dead, with a plan to rule the British kingdom and take back the colonies. The story is, at times, overly complicated, but everything has a place. Breadcrumbs are scattered throughout and unless you are schooled in absolutely everything, real and theorhetical, you may miss the significance of many of them (I did).

Sherlock Holmes is, in my opinion, a reboot (has SH ever been an ongoing franchise?). It has everything we have come to expect in blockbusters; explosions, beautiful women, action (RDJ has been working out, he is nearly rivaling Kurt Russell from Soldier), edgy wit and plot twists. It has the potential to do what Casino Royale did for James Bond… I don’t think it carries the same powerhouse punch, but it is an entertaining ride.

2 thoughts on “Sherlock Holmes

  1. Laura

    Ok, not a great movie. Unfortunately, I believed the hype. RDJ love your body, love your acting, not loving this Sherlock Holmes script, but hey, we all have to pay the bills. Definately no Iron Man going on here. For $7.50, I took 3 1/2 naps, that does not speak well. Even though I felt rested after the movie, gotta say, I could have waited to rent at Redbox.

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