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Great fun! And there was a decent attempt to justify Holmes’ fighting abilities. The action plot is really just there to give the characters something to do while exploring the real plot which is about relationships; the disruption to the Holmes/Watson relationship most obviously, but also between the two men and their respective paramours, and between Holmes and members of the police force. That’s where the real joy of the film arises and why I am eager for the next installment.

I should have liked this film, but the film is too big, Too many action set pieces, Too many explosions. Not enough Mystery. It’s like everything has to be bigger and better like it’s some kind of sequel or Michael Bay movie with better style and some sensability.

It’s not good enough for Sherlock Holmes to be a good detective but must also be tough by doing bare knuckle fighting, being a master of disguise and always having a weapon handy. Like a victorian era super spy. Once in awhile we get to see how Holmes’ mind works with deductive thinking. While having a semi homoerotic relationship with Dr. Watson, Who he is jealous of because he is not only moving out of the house they share but also getting married.

The case they try to crack involves a woman from holmes past who is lively and almost as cunning as he is and at first the case seems based on the supernatural. then along the way becomes more logical.

The chemistry between Downey Jr. and Jude Law seems false and more manufactured then it should and make syou wonder if Jude Law was insulted as being the natural born brit and having to play the sidekick to the american actor taking over a notorious british character.

The film ins;y horrible and it’s nice to see what director Guy Ritchie can do with a sizeable budget, but as i said before everything feels overblown and like it goes out of it’s wayto keep reminding you this is the NEW Sherlock holmes.

The leads are both charming and mark Strong is a good villian and the film’s more interesting scenes are when he is on the screen or exploring his character and it’s conspiracy.

While the film is a good popcorn film afterwards you start to feel the fat and the grease and wonder why this movie really needed to be made. Again it’s not horrible it’s not bad either. It’s ok and has some things going for it, but the end feels unecessary and unremarkable. It keep your attention as any time the films seems to begin to slowvdown another action sequence pops up. Not always for a good reason, But for the most part everyone involved seems to be having fun.

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Sosok detektif yang elegan, dingin dan serius adalah ciri-ciri Sherlock Holmes yang telah berada di relung bawah sadar semua orang. Namun, setelah 75 aktor memerankan Holmes dalam lebih dari 200 film, bisnis layar lebar butuh sesuatu yang segar dan baru. Oke, lalu bagaimana dengan detektif petarung yang bertelanjang dada? Sutradara muda Inggris, Guy Ritchie memoles tokoh detektif terbesar sepanjang masa itu dengan gaya yang cuek, urakan, bahkan jorok; jauh berbeda dari Holmes versi Basil Rathbone yang klimis. Holmes versi Ritchie adalah detektif rock n’ roll, ceplas-ceplos, namun tetap cerdas dengan kemampuan deduksi dan membaca jejak tiada tara. Sungguh, saya sanget respek dengan kreativitas macam ini.

Gambaran seperti ini rupanya justru paling mendekati sosok Holmes rekaan Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Detektif pecandu kokain tersebut dalam kesehariannya sangat menggemari beladiri. Dalam novel The Sign of the Four, sang pengarang juga sempat menyebutkan bahwa Holmes adalah seorang petarung, yang andal baik dengan tangan kosong, senjata tajam maupun pistol. Namun Sir Arthur tidak sempat mendalaminya. Nah, hal inilah yang dieksplorasi habis-habisan dalam Sherlock Homes (2009). Singkatnya, Holmes “baru” ini adalah detektif yang menggunakan otak dan otot. Ritchie memadukan keduanya dengan kemampuan Holmes untuk mengkalkulasi akibat dari setiap gerakannya dengan teknik slow motion, sehingga memberikan kesempatan pada penonton untuk mengagumi daya analisis sekaligus kekuatan tinju Holmes! Jika Sir Arthur masih hidup, beliau akan menjabat tangan Ritchie.

Syahdan, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) dan rekannya Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) dibayar untuk memburu kriminal berbahaya bernama Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) yang meneror masyarakat London dengan ilmu hitam. Bekerjasama dengan kepolisian Scotland Yard, mereka berhasil menangkap Blackwood untuk digantung. Namun, Blackwood berhasil “bangkit” dari kubur dan membunuhi korbannya satu-persatu. Kali ini Holmes harus menggunakan seluruh kemampuannya untuk menghentikan Blackwood.

Aksi duel dan kejar-kejaran plus ledakan mewarnai kisah penyelidikan Holmes yang tidak lazim ini di kota London era Victoria akhir abad ke-19 yang kumuh, dark, dan penuh dengan pembangunan infrastuktur— menandai revolusi industri di negara tersebut. Mereka menjelajahi saluran air bawah tanah, penggilingan daging, bahkan sampai ke puncak Tower Bridge yang sedang dibangun. Holmes dan Watson pun masih keluar masuk flat nomor 221B Baker Street yang legendaris itu, ditemani seekor bulldog lucu yang sering menjadi korban eksperimen sang detektif. Diiringi dengan score dan musik yang dinamis, film ini membuat Anda susah berkedip. Dan sebagaimana lazimnya cerita-cerita detektif, Holmes membeberkan hipotesisnya dengan brilian di hadapan sang musuh pada adegan pamungkas. Saya salut dengan keempat penulis skenario Sherlock Holmes, tapi sayangnya semua hal di atas tidak akan banyak diingat orang.

Terlalu Dominan
Atraksi utama dari film calon franchise laris ini adalah Robert Downey Jr. Dengan aksen Inggris lumayan (berkat pengalaman memerankan komedian Charlie Chaplin), aktor cerdas ini mampu menyuguhkan karakter berbeda dari Sherlock Holmes konservatif. Holmes versi Downey Jr. adalah kombinasi kejeniusan McGyver dan kesintingan Jack Sparrow. Ia memerankan karakter posmodern yang jauh “melompati” zamannya. Ritchie tentu paham bahwa karakterisasi semacam ini hanya akan menyenangkan kelompok penonton tertentu saja.

Sosok Holmes tentu tidak bisa lepas dari Watson, yang diperankan cukup baik oleh Jude Law (pers Inggris menjulukinya “hot Watson” karena memberikan dimensi baru bagi imej dokter tersebut). Persahabatan Holmes-Watson ditampilkan dengan atmosfer benci tapi rindu, mirip pasangan suami istri menopause yang selalu bertikai karena hal-hal sepele setiap hari. Watson selalu “cerewet” dan mengkritik setiap tindak-tanduk Holmes, sebaliknya Holmes pun berusaha mencegah Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly) menjadi kekasih Watson agar ia tidak ditinggal sendirian. Dialog-dialog cerdas dan nakal berhamburan dari mulut mereka. Kita mungkin menangkap kesan homoerotika di dalamnya, namun kadarnya tidak berlebihan, sehingga tidak akan terlihat sebagai Brokeback Mountain jilid dua.

Namun, dua tokoh tersebut terlalu dominan sepanjang 130 menit cerita. Dengan plot yang super cepat, karakter antagonis seperti Blackwood, Coward (Hans Matheson), Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), Inspektur Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) dan lainnya terlihat seperti setumpuk koran bekas yang siap dibuang saja. Blackwood susah disamakan dengan Joker dalam film The Dark Knight, misalnya, yang begitu sulit dilupakan penonton. Seperti yang diduga, Irene Adler hanya tampil sebagai pelengkap penderita, sehingga gagal total meyakinkan saya kalau perempuan ini memang tandingan setara Holmes. Bagi Ritchie, dekonstruksi penokohan Holmes adalah segala-galanya.

Ya, ini adalah film tentang dua pria yang terpanjang di poster Sherlock Holmes tersebut, tidak lebih (dan semoga mereka mendapatkan piala untuk itu). Bisa dipahami, bahwa Ritchie memang dibayar oleh Warner Bros. untuk mempersiapkan sebuah franchise, sehingga sosok Holmes “baru” tersebut harus melekat dahulu di hati penonton (muda). Mengutip Leslie S. Klinger, editor buku The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, “It’s like new wine in old bottles.” Pekerjaannya tidak mudah karena ia sedang menjungkirbalikkan imej detektif ternama yang sudah terpatri di benak setiap orang.

Untuk itu, Sherlock Holmes membuka pintu untuk film kedua, karena masih ada lawan berat yang sedang menunggu sang detektif, yaitu Profesor Moriarty (konon akan diperankan oleh Brad Pitt). Kita tunggu sekuel “panas” itu, Mr. Ritchie!

L’avantage de ce film de Ritchie, c’est qu’il dépoussière un fameux coup le personnage de Sherlock Holmes et dans le même temps tout son univers pour coller nettement plus à notre époque. Personnage aux qualités extra-lucides mais aux défauts inhérents comme le manque d’hygiène par exemple. Dans le même registre, le respectable Watson souffre du vice du jeu. L’histoire est somme toute sympathique mais elle n’invente rien d’une part et ensuite, elle a tendance à vouloir créer des méandres dans son script de manière assez inutile. Toutefois, la mise en scène est presque impeccable (ai un peu moins aimé la bagarre au tout début du film juste avant qu’ils n’empêchent le Lord de commettre son méfait) et le casting assure un maximum à tout point de vue pour offrir un film de détente tout simplement amusant et correct.

Fuera de toda intención mercantil, obvia por demás con su casi predecible final, la última película de Guy Ritchie acierta en tomar a un personaje que no necesariamente es popular como el de Sherlock Holmes y convertirlo en una figura casi que mercadeable desde todo punto de vista. O para hacerlo más corto, el Sherlock de Ritchie es lo suficientemente cool como para que precisamente se piense desde ya en una franquicia tipo Pirates of the Caribbean (Gore Verbinski, 2003-2007).

Y esto, al igual que en el caso de Pirates of the Caribbean, se debe a la elección del actor que encarna al icónico detective. Robert Downey Jr. viene en una espiral ascendente gracias en primer lugar al éxito inesperado de Iron Man (Jon Favreu, 2008) además de otras películas como Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Shane Black, 2005), Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007), Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller, 2008) , que si bien pasaron algo desapercibidas, son testimonio de que Downey Jr. está en mejor forma que nunca.

Por eso mucho más allá de una duda inicial luego de su anuncio, al ver el resultado final es más que obvio la elección de Downey Jr. como Sherlock Holmes.

Porque es Downey Jr. quien lleva toda la película a cuestas prácticamente, no porque los otros actores en sus respectivos personajes no destaquen por mérito propio, sino porque el guión y la historia así lo han dispuesto. Sherlock Holmes es el centro de la historia vemos todo lo que ocurre a través de sus ojos.

Personalmente creo que es un lástima que no se le haya dado más espacio a Jude Law, porque su Watson es sencillamente genial la contra parte pasional de Holmes, el otro lado de la moneda. Algo que viene directamente del texto de Arthur Conan Doyle y que en otro acierto de la película, devuelve a Watson a sus raíces originales diluidas a lo largo de estos años (contadas adaptaciones) que lo habían convertido en ayudante torpe y muchas veces teniendo que interpretar el papel de comedia en las historias. Algo así como un bufón. Pero ya no más, y no digo con esto que el humor este ausente de la película de Ritchie, todo lo contrario, es precisamente de este choque de personalidades de donde surgen situaciones de verdadera comedia. Es un alivio que hayan renunciado a los chistes fáciles.

Aunque no muy destacados, pero más correctos que lo que uno espera en este tipo de películas, los secundarios Lord Darkwood (Mark Strong), Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) y Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) son el complemento perfecto para la historia.

No estoy diciendo con esto que Sherlock Holmes sea una película más inteligente de lo que realmente es en su carácter de blockbuster, como por ejemplo The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008), pero si acepta su naturaleza escapista y la explota al máximo.

Ahora todo el asunto de que Guy Ritchie no era un director con una sensibilidad adecuada para hacer una historia como la de Sherlock Holmes queda totalmente desvalidada al ver la película. Si bien el largometraje no está lleno de todos aquellos elementos de formas que tanto fascinan a Ritchie, todavía sigue siendo su película. Y lo que es más gratificante es que esas decisiones de estilo (como las cámaras super lentas) sirven completamente a la historia y a describirnos a Sherlock Holmes. De hecho me atrevo a decir que esta es la película más clásica de Ritchie.

Lo que es además bien interesante si consideramos que el director británico no tenía un éxito desde Snatch (2000) luego de ese excelente debut que significó Lock, Stock and Two Smocking Barrels (1998). Swept Away (2002), ese remake de la película italiana Travolti da un insolito destino nell’azzurro mare d’agosto (1974), no la vio nadie, al igual que Revolver (2005) escrita por Luc Besson, que corrió con la misma suerte que la cinta con Madonna pero no por ser una mala película sino porque contó con una bastante irregular distribución.

En el caso de Rockanrolla (2008) yo en lo personal lo veo más como un exorcismo de demonios, porque se me antoja como un reciclaje de todas sus películas anteriores. Sin embargo a pesar de parecer un compilatorio de ideas y formas anteriores, la película es en si bien entretenida.

Espero que Ritchie siga embarcándose en riesgos como el de Sherlock Holmes. Y no hablo de la magnitud que representa una película de estudio como ésta, sino en intentar contar otras historias, porque sinceramente creo que ya en el submundo de los gangsters británicos Ritchie lo contó todo.

I’ve never read any Arthur Conan Doyle, and the only things I know about Sherlock Holmes are what pop-culture common-knowledge affords me. I know that Holmes lives at 22 Baker Street, wears a funny hat (conspicuously and graciously absent here), smokes a pipe, and says stuff like “The game is afoot!” as he solves a head-scratching mystery. I know he has a buddy named Watson who is a doctor, has a mustache, and says stuff like “No shit, Sherlock!” I know he has a nemesis named Professor Moriarty (or is it Ratigan?) whose name screams “evil, dastardly genius.” So going in, I probably only had a handbag in the way of literary fan-baggage to check before viewing. It was pretty tough for Robert Downey Jr. not to fill the shoes of the famous detective in a watchable, entertaining manner. A lot of people scoffed at the casting of Jude Law as Watson (or “Hotson” as Guy Ritchie calls him) since people mostly imagine Watson being short and fat, but again, not in my tiny fan handbag, didn’t bug me a bit. The bromance that Holmes and Watson have is a bit like a buddy cop movie, with Holmes being the Martin Riggs-like loose cannon, and Watson being the cool-headed dude who is just six days from retirement, the only differences are we’re in 19th century England, Watson isn’t black, and Holmes doesn’t say things like “I’m gonna FUCK YOUR ASS!” before wailing on Gary Busey (note: Gary Busey is not in this movie, but it would be kind of awesome if he was, reprising his role as Mr. Joshua no less). Speaking of 19th century England, the environment in this movie is stellar, it has a Hammer horror vibe which is accentuated by events like Satanic rituals and French giants wielding hammers. Guy Ritchie is back in top form behind the camera (it’s amazing what happens when you divorce Madonna), making this movie his most entertaining since Snatch. All the talent comes together to make Sherlock Holmes a truly entertaining and exciting blockbuster property.

The only issue I take with Sherlock Holmes is how the filmmakers chose to tell the story. The movie invites us to go on an adventure with our heroes, but the invitation extends only to the action set-pieces and not to the mystery itself. Holmes comes to conclusions and deductions, but he doesn’t make it known to the audience until that section of the mystery is solved. This would be fine if the clues were ones that were possible to follow, but they are not. It would’ve been fun if the mystery were one that the audience could follow Holmes on, instead he chooses to remain silent in most of his findings. This is probably done to make Holmes seem like more of a genius to the audience, but the same effect on his character could have been achieved by making the mystery one that the audience could possibly follow and solve with the characters, catching them up on the minor details during the big reveal, thus making the second viewing a rewarding one. I realize I’m saying what I think the movie should be, as opposed to what it is, and I’m fine with what it is, and I’m not really holding this against it in any way, it just would’ve made the movie a more rewarding experience as opposed to a merely entertaining one.

English director and former “Mr. Madonna” Guy Ritchie (“Lock, Stock…” & “Snatch”) attempts to resurrect his somewhat flagging career by signing up with Razzie nominated producer Lionel Wigram (“Cool as Ice” & “Harry Potter”) to launch this action-adventure franchise bastardised from the works of 19th century British crime novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Dr. Watson (Jude Law) conclude their final case together with a “Matrix” style kung-fu battle against occult serial-killer Lord Henry Blackwood (Mark Strong), but are reunited in battle when their antagonist is apparently resurrected from the grave as part of a plot to take over the British empire in a “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” style storyline set in neo-old London town.

Golden Globe-nominated Robert Downey, Jr. puts in a convincingly quirky portrayal of the great detective, and he manages to generate an intriguing chemistry with the usually wooden Jude Law, but is less successful with femme fatale love interest Rachel McAdams, whilst Mark Strong is sinister enough at the head of a supporting cast that includes a beautiful Kelly Reilly, a sneering Eddie Marsan, a bland Hans Matheson and a flustered Geraldine James.

The film-makers have taken their inspiration from the franchise reboot “Batman Begins” by director Christopher Nolan to create a new take on a classic character but some elements have become far to ingrained for tinkering and the whole thing begins to smack of desperation as the voice of an unidentified big star rendition of Professor Moriarty points the way to an all too unnecessary sequel deeply ingrained in the script.

“You know that what you’re drinking is for eye surgery?”

Jika ada satu orang yang harus disalahkan atas kefanatikan saya terhadap kegiatan membaca berbagai jenis buku ketika saya berada di usia sekolah, maka orang tersebut adalah Ayah saya. Beliau adalah orang yang selalu menanamkan ide bahwa pergi ke perpustakaan daerah adalah ide terbaik untuk menghabiskan waktu selama masa liburan. And it works, actually.

Perpustakaan menjadi tempat favorit saya setiap kali masa liburan sekolah datang. Disana, saya menghabiskan waktu untuk membaca buku-buku mengenai astronomi, mitologi Yunani dan buku-buku bertema detektif, seperti buku Lima Sekawan karya Enid Blyton, The Baby-sitters Club karya Ann M Martin, sampai akhirnya saya berkenalan dengan Sherlock Holmes karya Arthur Conan Doyle.

Menonton Sherlock Holmes, sebuah film yang disutradarai oleh Guy Ritchie, membuat saya teringat kembali akan masa-masa yang saya habiskan untuk membaca karya Doyle tersebut di perpustakaan. Dalam menceritakan Sherlock Holmes, Ritchie sepertinya tidak ingin terlalu jauh melangkah dari sebuah pakem bahwa film ini merupakan adaptasi dari sebuah karya tulisan terkenal. Hal ini dilakukannya dengan tetap menggambarkan detail pemikiran dari seorang Sherlock Holmes ketika ia sedang dalam tugasnya untuk memecahkan suatu misteri.

Dalam cerita kali ini sendiri, Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr) digambarkan sedang menghadapi misteri bangkitnya kembali Lord Blackwood (Strong) dari alam kubur. Bersama partner setianya, John Watson (Law), yang sebenarnya ingin menjauhkan diri dari berbagai masalah yang sering ditimbulkan Holmes menjelang pernikahannya dengan Mary Morstan (Reilly), mereka mencari pemecahan misteri yang tepat untuk mencegah Lord Blackwood mewujudkan idenya untuk menjadikan London sebagai langkah awalnya dalam menguasai dunia. Tentu saja, dalam perjalanan pemecahan misteri tersebut, Holmes harus berhadapan dengan misteri lainnya, misteri hati dari seorang wanita bernama Irena Adler (McAdams).

Bagi sebagian orang, menonton penggambaran Guy Ritchie atas Sherlock Holmes mungkin akan sedikit terasa sulit. Bukan apa-apa, Ritchie sepertinya ingin berusaha agar menonton film ini terasa seperti sedang membaca bukunya, yakni dengan tetap menggambarkan bagamana jalan pikiran seorang Sherlock Holmes ketika ia sedang berusaha memecahkan masalahnya. Bukan hal yang buruk sebenarnya, namun mungkin sedikit terkesan membosankan.

Dari departemen akting, para pemeran Sherlock Holmes memberikan penampilan yang sangat memuaskan. Robert Downey Jr, yang pada awalnya banyak diragukan bagaimana cara ia untuk menggambarkan peran detektif legendaris ini, ternyata mampu menjawab semua keraguan yang ada. Downey Jr bermain dengan totalitas dan menunjukkan tingkat kegilaan yang sama seperti tingkat kegilaan dan kerumitan pemikiran seorang Sherlock Holmes. Walau begitu, ada kalanya chemistry yang dihasilkan oleh owney Jr bersama dua rekannya, Jude Law dan Rachel McAdams, kurang begitu terasa. Hal ini tentu saja akan sedikit mengganggu, khususnya pada hubungan Holmes dan Watson yang seharusnya digambarkan sebagai dua sahabat yang sangat erat.

Pujian patut diberikan pada komposer Hans Zimmer, yang di sepanjang film mampu memberikan tambahan nyawa dengan karya music score yang ia hasilkan. Score yang dihasilkan Zimmer begitu mendebarkan, hal ini dapat sangat dirasakan pada score pembuka yang ia berikan di awal film, yang sepertinya akan memompa adrenalin para penontonnya untuk terus menonton Sherlock Holmes. Begitu pula dari sinematografi yang sangat indah dalam menggambarkan suasana kota London di abad 18.

Secara keseluruhan, Guy Ritchie dapat dikatakan lumayan berhasil dalam menghidupkan Sherlock Holmes. Beberapa keluhan yang dirasakan pada pace cerita yang turun naik sepertinya akan sirna ketika Ritchie mampu menghasilkan scene terakhir sepanjang 20 menit yang sangat mendebarkan itu.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

I was a little scared going into this movie that it was going to be all action and not enough intellectual puzzle solving. I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the movie on the whole. Robert Downey Jr. plays Sherlock as a capable fighter who is willing to face danger head on. This Sherlock is still a master of disguise and brilliant at deducing facts about a crime. I haven’t seen too many movies with Jude Law, but here he blends into the role of Watson very well. McAdams, Strong, and Marsan play their supporting characters acceptably. People have said that this isn’t an origins story, but it kind of is. Holmes and Watson have worked on many cases together, but they are still young. Watson has become engaged and is in the process of moving out of the 221B Baker Street apartment. Many of the original stories are from the point of view of a married Watson who simply visits Holmes occasionally to see what mysteries he is trying to solve. So this is a transitional story in the characters lives. I don’t know why so many people have such a problem with the story. I don’t think this portrayal of Holmes and the mystery he has to solve is so at odds with Doyle’s original stories. I wouldn’t call myself a purist or expert on Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales of Sherlock Holmes, but I am trying to read through many of his short stories to become familiar with the character. It’s not unusual that Holmes is up against a secret society. It just happens that this one deals more with the occult. Yes, it’s a bit Da Vinci Code-ish or Angels & Demons-ish, but it is unfair to say this mystery seems stolen from a Dan Brown book. I still loved following Holmes as he uncovers the clues as to how Mark Strong’s character Lord Blackwood appears to have supernatural powers.

i was pretty excited when i’m on my way to watch this film. i was very interested at guy ritchie’s take on classic detective story. what will be the outcome when a character made by sir arthur conan doyle was visualized by the fast-paced lens of guy ritchie? not too mention robert downey jr. as sherlock holmes and jude law as dr. watson.

so, what is the outcome? this film has its moment of guy ritchie-esque coolness, but along the way it’s quite dull, boring, and disappointing. the holes are too many in the plot and there’s nothing special in the storyline. not a single sign of magic detected from the storyline. the single highlight from the storyline is how the writer used funny dialog to make this film not only as a popcorn flick, but also a buddy film between sherlock holmes and dr. watson. ironically, it can be improve.

the acting and chemistry from robert downey jr. and jude law kinda save this film to be the next swept away from guy ritchie. unfortunately, rachel mcadams acted badly here. she can’t keep up with the acting from those two handsome men.

sherlock holmes wasted robert downey jr., jude law, and guy ritchie’s talent. but, i think it’s good for guy ritchie to finally get out from his comfort zone since his swept away experience. it won’t be as good as his fast-paced foul-mouthed british gangster films and he will get bad reviews (again), but it won’t be as bad as swept away. if only guy ritchie written sherlock holmes himself, the outcome might’ve been different. you should’ve written this yourself, mr. ritchie.

This re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes is a lot of fun with very little brains. RDJ and Jude Law are the high points of the film, walking a fine line between hokey and realistic. Actually, Holmes was very similar to Batman Begins, not in tone but in plot. Many of the plot twists and turns were identical to ones made in Batman Beigins, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing but it did leave me wanting something different than the end result we got. In fact, the film felt more like a tremendous set-up to a better sequel, which may very well be but I think more time should have been spent on this film being it’s own singular experience rather than a set-up for a franchise. I’ve gotta say, despite my problems with the film, Ritchie really brought it to the table and created a great new world for us to enjoy with the coming films. RDJ is a great fit for Holmes, bringing the right sort of modernization to this classic character. And while I don’t particularly appreciate the integration of Holmes’ fighting skills, I must say the way in which they did it was clever and would have probably suited the original character.

A stunningly goofy silly romp. I was pleasantly surprised since a dearly-departed friend from my movie forum (just gone, not dead) told me in an email he couldn’t stand it – well, different tastes. I’ll tell you why I liked it: Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law. I didn’t detect the gayness that Roger Ebert did (what’s his deal anyway), but I did detect the friendship and well, I guess devotion, for lack of a better word to one another. RDJ and JL had great chemistry, who knew? But certainly part of the friendship is the thrill of the chase, uncovering “the macabre” as Holmes puts it. Seeing relatively young men play the roles gives it a certain freshness I guess. You certainly can’t take it seriously like one of the Rathbone movies, but it’s enormous fun. And I couldn’t take my eyes off of Downey when he was in a scene, so I suspect I missed some stuff. Downey is weathered now, obviously middle-aged, and yet the brio he brings to Holmes, and the perversity mixed with that ageless boyishness of his, means he has once again put his stamp on an iconic character, this one fictional.

The movie reminds me of the rumblings of nausea at the thought of the anachronistic Wild, Wild West with all of its gadgets, sort of like a western Transformers. I never saw but bits and pieces of it on TV, and I was braced for something similar in Sherlock Holmes, but it never came. I’d go see the sequel, which I’m pretty sure there will be.

I thought this was cute, and entertaining. Nothing too fancy happens here but Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law I think are both very good. Rachel McAdams has a very lame part that could be filled by anyone, which bummed me out, but the pacing is good. The story is a wee bit weak, but hey, it’s a blockbuster movie. The whole film has a very Guy Ritchie feel, which I liked, as Richie is good at the whole gritty british underground sort of thing and has great style. There’s a fair bit of humor and some interesting action, I especially like when Holmes breaks down and plans an attack before striking, and I also like the chemistry between Law and Downey Jr. The two work well together which works well for the story. The whole film is very true to the time period, which I always appreciate and I very much liked Robert Downey Jr.‘s quirky, oddball, yet genius at heart portrayal of Holmes. Holme’s borderline insanity makes a very sound polar opposite to Jude Law’s Watson who is calm, cool, collected, and rational, yet tends to be the muscle of the duo. Mark Strong as the bad guy, I could take or leave. Honestly for me, the most interesting question I had about him was: “Is that his real tooth?” But he did have a very villainous toned voice. It’s not a must see by any means, but it is entertaining and Robert Downey Jr. makes a lot of movies worth watching in my opinion.