REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes

I've never been a die hard fan of Sherlock Holmes. Although I did watch a lot of the TV movies and films growing up. My first impression of the character was that he was a stuffy and pompous person. After watching Guy Ritchie's version of the character while he might be still pompous (in good way now) he's lost that stuffy persona. Guy Ritchie is in fine form here the film is visually and technically stunning. I loved the use of traditional Irish music and the score in general worked well with the tone. The fight scenes made this film along with the many action set pieces.

Robert Downey Jr. makes a great Holmes with being a bumbling fool and having a quick wit pulls off the new take perfectly. Jude Law does something new with Watson making him just as smart and witty as Holmes, even being able to fight alongside him. Mark Strong makes Lord Blackwood a very dark character while we don't see him much the scenes where Blackwood appears he does give a chilling vibe. Rachel McAdams did a fine job herself as well but it would have been nice to see her get more fight scenes.

I likened the film to Riders of The Lost Ark as an action roller coaster without being too ridiculous. It was nice to see that the opening scene was just as thrilling as an Indiana Jones opening. Another good element of the film was that the characters were established already having adventures and cases. The best thing about the film is while there were plot points that confused me they did tie things up quite neatly. There are teases of Professor Moriarty that setups a great mysterious villain for the next film. Who might or might not be Brad Pitt.

My only issues with the film involved other characters. They seemed all too serious and dull for the world they were trying to create. Watson's fiance and the majority of the supporting male cast didn't help the film. The two characters that did liven up the movie were the boat captain and the Constable, hopefully they make the next film. I didn't think the second slow motion fight scene was needed but it wasn't too annoying. However I did like this film's story a lot more than I did Avatar's. I have to recommend this for people who enjoy fun action movies without a preachy message.

B+