Sherlock Holmes Review

This past Friday Turbo and I celebrated Christmas by catching Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams in the newest version of Sherlock Holmes. If you don't know who Sherlock Holmes is, just imagine what Batman would be like if he was British. He's got the sidekick, the intelligence, the attraction to a criminal, and in this version, the kick ass fighting style that are all associated with America's Caped Crusader. That comparison has nothing to do with the movie really, I just thought it was interesting. Anyway, here's the review.

The movie starts with Holmes and Watson busting up some kind of cult ritual being performed on a girl. This is where we first see the duo's fighting ability. What the trailers show doesn't properly represent how awesome the fight scenes are. Being the genius he is, Holmes completely analyzes how to win the fight before he ever throws a punch. It's both entertaining and brutal, not to mention flawless. Dr. Watson on the other hand, is more of a brawler. He uses his cane to beat the hell out of opponents without too much finesse. Ok, so back to the plot. After the opening mission in which a character by the name of Lord Blackwood is arrested, Holmes becomes a shut in. Watson is in the midst of an engagement as well as moving out of his partners home and Blackwood is being hanged for his crimes. It's this part of the film that allows us to really meet the characters. We are introduced to the relationship between Watson and Holmes and here as well as throughout the movie, we are treated to tidbits about their past adventures. The actors work great together and really make the movie come to life. RDJ and Law are easily the best part of the film.

The plot thickens quickly from here on. A lot happens in Sherlock Holmes and it's easy to miss something. I managed to keep up with it but I could see how others might have trouble. No one can complain about the storyline being unoriginal though, so that's always a plus. I'd say that my only real issue with the movie was that the plot was too rooted within the dark arts. Magic and fear play a big role and I felt Holmes could have refuted the possibility of such things a tad bit more. There are only one or two scenes in which someone discounts the possibility of the supernatural. Without revealing too much, I'll say I was satisfied overall with how everything was handled. We even get to see Holmes in all of his brilliance when all is said and done. Once again, RDJ doesn't disappoint in his delivery.

Now for the part when I tell you how dumb "professional" critics are. One of the biggest issues I've heard about this movie is that Holmes and Watson are more brawlers than detectives and doctors should be. I'm guessing that means they wanted more talking and less action. Just to go back to Batman for a second, I don't remember him doing all that much detective work and no one complained about TDK. Sherlock Holmes isn't without it's wit. As I said before, Law and RDJ are the best part of the movie. That's not because of how much ass they kick. It's for the humor and sarcasm that we are treated to just about every time one of them opens their mouth.

This is a film that I could see getting a sequel in the very near future. As a matter of fact, there almost HAS to be one. Hopefully, director Guy Ritchie will get on that as soon as he's done with Lobo. I can't wait to see what he does with that one. For now I'll Chyeah about Sherlock and give it a rating of 4 IHOP Pancake syrups. Chyeah!