I remember very clearly seeing the first preview for Sherlock Holmes at the beginning of the year; it was an amazing trailer and the fact that Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. were working together made me very excited. Ritchie's last two entries weren't his strongest but as this film panned out, he's returned to better form with his latest enstallment, Sherlock Holmes.
This film begins with such a stunning energy and this doesn't surprise me because Ritchie's caper films (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) boast some very high energy antics and the director has revived Mr. Holmes with this energy. This high energy makes this a very fast moving film and at times this is hard to follow. The dialogue is full of wit and fun but sometimes the audience really has to sit and listen to know what exactly is going on and why; Ritchie has a hard time controlling this energy in this movie so some things may be lost in translation. There is good that comes out of this though; this makes this detective story fun and fast, with plenty of action to spare, and many more laughs along the way and the two leads are something to marvel at.
Robert Downey Jr. has a brilliant turn as Mr. Holmes in this film; he has such an uncanny wit and nailed down the whole antisocial attitude that Sherlock has always possessed, plus he's a blast to watch. His humour is fully utilized here and Jude Law only compliments this as Sherlock's counterpart, Watson. These two are so much fun together and both actors have brought new life into the franchise. Rachel Mcadams is always a treat and she does a good enough supporting role in this film even though her character gets stuffed under the shadow of the two leads almost every time she's in the movie. Downey Jr. has also brought a rough and toughness to Holmes as he's featured fighting in the film many times and when there's fighting it's very cool in this movie. Ritchie utilizes high speed camera many times in this film to catch the slow mo punches and excitement; this makes for gritty and exciting entertainment. Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood was decent enough; I felt that the director could've gone a little more into this awesome Holmes villian but he seemed like a mere puppet in this movie but he was done well enough to make a decent villian.
Overall this movie is a fun, upbeat, high energy, and also very dark turn by Guy Ritchie. Finally Sherlock Holmes isn't a fun kids story but it's a dark and mysterious franchise that has been breathed new life into. Downey Jr's. character was stellar and fun to watch and Jude Law did a fantastic job as well bringing two of the most beloved characters back to life. Lord Blackwood could've been more thought out and Ritchie could've layed the story out a bit clearer but what we get is a fun, cool, classy, mystery story made for pure entertainment and yes it was entertaining, but if you're looking for something a little more than fluff and fun then you might be disappointed. All I can say is, Holmes sweet Holmes, it's good to have him back.
