Surprisingly efficient in the Holmes storyline

Rating: 7/10 (2 July 2018)

I did not hold any expectations while watching this as I had heard many composite responses. Going in I felt this was going to be a LONG 2 hr film with no real substance. I walked away more than pleasantly surprised the film was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon), Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey, and Dan Lin. The adapted and brilliantly written screenplay, by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg, was developed from a story by Wigram and Johnson.
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law portray Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson respectively Law is clever, uniquely compelling to that of Downey's prowess as Holmes. Downey's performance showcases his diverse ability to delve into a character and make it his own.. Set in 1890, eccentric detective Holmes and his companion Watson are hired by a secret society to foil a mystic and warlock style craft of magic, a sinister plot to expand the British Empire by seemingly supernatural and dark means. Rachel McAdams stars as their former adversary Irene Adler and comes across feminine nut strong for the time of the century. Mark Strong portrays villain Lord Henry Blackwood methodically and conceptually dark, almost with a devious and mystic presence.
I thought the concept of the film brought a different style and approach to the legendary Scotland Yard investigator. It was well paced, and drove the characters nicely following the plot. I give it a 7/10