It's elementary...

I recently watched the newest version of Sherlock Holmes with my lovely wife, Tara, who hadn't seen it yet. We both enjoyed it very much and I doubly enjoyed watching it with her since I got to see her reaction to it and discuss the movie with her finally. I find it to be a delightful interpretation of this very old franchise and it definitely is a Holmes for a newer generation. I shall digress below...



Story wise, it was very linear but still very intriguing (potential SPOILERS...): We begin with Holmes and Watson concluding a case against a man, Lord Blackwood, about to sacrifice a woman for some sort of nefarious purpose. He is caught and sent to prison. Here's where we actually begin to learn more about the person that is Holmes, rather than the character (if that makes any sense...). We find he is a sad and lonely genius with little social tact (or just ignores it, dealers choice...), while Watson is shockingly normal, about to become married, but is still impressed, intimidated and fascinated by Holmes. So much so that he runs around London with Holmes, disregarding plans with his fiancé to help solve an even bigger case. Lord Blackwood is scheduled to be executed, but mysteriously survives the execution, despite Watson verifying his 'death'. Holmes is eventually contacted by a secret society that believes in magic and is afraid of Lord Blackwood, who practices 'dark arts'. Further added into this mix is Irene Adler, a former romantic interest and female rogue who constantly vexes Holmes. Without giving any more away, Holmes and Watson run about London, getting in and out of danger, look for clues and eventually figure out Blackwood’s endgame scheme and prevent it from occurring...

Robert Downey Jr. is very excellent in this role, especially since it is a Sherlock we are not used to seeing. In the past, we have seen Holmes as a tall, thin English gentleman with a penchant for the violin and a high class demeanor. However, RDJ gives us an extremely disheveled, abrasive Holmes who is not afraid of throwing his incredible knowledge about. This Holmes is actually a lot like a Victorian version of House, M.D. in this manner. Instead of the typical hunting for clues and putting the pieces together in relative safety, this Holmes gets into the fray, gets into fights (and takes his hits like a man...), and is a much more hands on version of the detective. It is very much like they took equal parts James Bond, Batman, and a dash of Tony Stark and came up with a delightful riff on the stuffier version given to us in the past...

The portrayal of Watson by Jude Law also deserves lauding. The old way we have seen Watson (in some of the more memorable versions...) is the fat, bumbling version that misidentifies clues, to which Holmes then corrects him and informs the reader/viewer what's REALLY going on. Law's Watson is much like a more stable but less risky version of Holmes himself; he loves the adventurousness of Holmes' life, but without Holmes, Watson may well have turned into just another doctor. Watson may not know as much about 'everything' as Holmes seems to, but never comes across as bumbling or foolish, nor does Holmes treat him in this manner. Law's Watson can hold his own in a fight and comes across more of Holmes' equal instead of a mere sidekick and glory-spewer. The way Jude played Watson is more along what we would see from the old Holmes (perfect posture, sharp looks, respectful, and EXTREMELY English...), but used this character type to balance the kind of Holmes played by Downey...

To condense the rest into a paragraph does not do it justice, but I will try my best. The side characters (Lord Blackwood, Irene Adler, the Chief Inspector, even the thugs...) are all very dynamic, even if they are all completely original. I will say that none of their performances are stale, wooden, or otherwise unenjoyable. This shows great choices by the director, Guy Ritchie, and his casting team, as well as the script that was used. The story itself was definitely your standard mystery, but was very fun to watch it play out. 'Whodunits' have been, and are always, very popular over the decades we've seen them, and this is no exception. It keeps you interested to see just how Holmes and Watson are going solve the case and just how far the villains (and even the heroes...) are willing to go to meet their goals. The setting is fantastic and even trendy, as Steam Punk-esque settings and scenarios are certain at least on the verge on being IN right now. Victorian-era ANYTHING seems to be very popular as it lends itself to a certain kind of class not seen in other eras...

I cannot think of anyone I would not recommend this movie to. It has appeal on so many levels that you would honestly just have to hate watching movies to not like something in it. The characters are great, the story is fun, the action is believable AND dynamic; it's all around good time. I especially appreciate the work that Robert Downey Jr. has been giving us as of late. It's nice to see that, despite his troubled past, he still has the ability to entertain...

Grade: A+ and waiting patiently for the sequel...