An entertaining take on the eccentric genius

Rating: Null/10 (8 March 2011)

This is a new and different take on the well-known Sherlock Holmes character, and I must admit a rather entertaining one. The film emphasizes Holmes's eccentricity, and Robert Downey Jr. is great as the genius oddball.
Director Guy Ritchie uses his signature quick-edits to provide glimpses into the extraordinary mind of the super-sleuth. In a fight, we see Holmes plan his next several moves the split-second before he needs to use them. We see, after the fact, all of the pieces that Holmes brings together to solve his little mysteries.
The film has a wonderfully offbeat tone, which makes up for some of the shortcomings in the plot and action. Hans Zimmer's quirky music score is excellent.
Jude Law plays Dr. Watson, Holmes's loyal sidekick. In fact, the brotherly love between Holmes and Watson is one of the underlying themes of the movie, as Watson plans to leave Holmes and get married. Holmes values Watson's companionship and doesn't want the duo to split up. Their differing styles complement each other so well. Rachel McAdams plays the female lead, Sherlock's old flame and a cunning thief.
This movie isn't quite like earlier screen incarnations of Arthur Conan Doyle's literary hero. But that is in no way a bad thing. This film stays true to the essence of the master detective, while telling a fun and exciting story. Downey's Holmes is unquestionably a genius intellect, as well as a master of disguise and a decent fighter. He smokes a pipe, he plays a fiddle, he has odd hobbies, he's very witty, and he's a tad inept socially. Law's Watson, an army veteran, is a man of action and a capable right-hand man (a departure from the bumbling image the character sometimes conjures up). The film is fairly action- packed, with some brawls and a couple big CGI set pieces. But the focus remains on Holmes and his impressive deductive powers. The tone set by the director and actors makes this a fun Victorian Era adventure. (The whole affair has an almost "Pirates of the Caribbean" vibe, on a smaller scale.)
The main case is a complex web of murder and mysticism, but the fun is in accompanying Downey's Holmes for the ride.