Review by Adam Mast, Zboneman.com.
Going in to this Sherlock Holmes reboot, my biggest concern was that Guy Ritchie’s stylistic flourishes would be distracting. After all, when you think intellectual sleuth, the man behind Lock, Stock, Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch doesn’t exactly spring to mind. As it turns out, many of my concerns, mainly those glaring fist fights so prominently featured in the trailer, were put to rest. These flashy fight sequences actually work in the context of the movie and there’s a reason for the slow-mo/fast speed techniques incorporated throughout this latest take on the iconic character created by Arthur Conan Doyle.
As for the story, it features a lot of the themes you’d expect from a Holmes adventure, namely mystery and intrigue. The plot revolves around a master criminal who comes back from the grave to wreak havoc across England. Robert Downey Jr. is a perfect fit for Holmes and his rapport with real life Brit Jude Law (bringing a subdued Watson to life) gives the film its biggest kick despite an almost homo-erotic innuendo. Seriously, this Sherlock/ Watson teaming gives new meaning to the term “bromance”. All jokes aside, the chemistry (and comic timing) is there, and I can only wish half of that chemistry carried over into the Downey Jr./Rachel McAdams scenario. Alas, McAdams’ mysterious Irene Adler is a rather underwritten role in the grand scheme of things.
Ritchie and crew have fashioned a film that tries to have its cake and eat it too. While this Holmes is still a scholarly intellectual, he also likes to get his hands dirty (reportedly, Doyle’s earlier stories saw Holmes in a more adventurous light as well). There’s a bit of a rugged side to the character as played in this film. In this regard, Robert Downey Jr.’s Holmes is a bit like Daniel Craig’s Bond. While hardly a perfect film (I prefer Barry Levinson’s 80’s staple Young Sherlock Holmes), this Sherlock Holmes rebirth benefits from terrifc turns Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and amazing art direction. Its clear that Warner Brothers is grooming this property as a franchise, and now that the ground work has been laid, I’d really like to see where Sherlock and Watson go from here.
