Bad adaptation, bad movie

Rating: 2/10 (23 August 2010)

Yes, sure, the Holmes character in Doyle's original was a skilled fighter, enjoyed opium, and could be quite prickly. I don't think that justifies this treatment of him as a scruffy, debauched, out-of-control lout, constantly in and out of brawls and prison. The angry, irritable Watson character here has little in common with the sycophantic Watson of the books and stories, who devoted his life to chronicling Holmes' remarkable mind. This is 21st century version of Holmes owes more to Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson movies than to Conan Doyle.
There are far too many fights and chase scenes here, far too little ratiocination. The plot of this story is also unworthy of Doyle -- an attempt to turn the murders and intrigues of the original stories into a vast, dark Da Vinci Code conspiracy.
It's as though they cobbled this together using focus groups and formulas. Take one part National Treasure, one part Bond movie, combine with Lethal Weapon, insert special effect etc.
Despite all the noise and action, I was constantly bored. I turned the movie off several times, had a hard time seeing it through to the end. (Another annoying thing: Though Downey does a creditable British accent, he mumbles constantly. You will need a good sound system to make out his words. And no, the problem is not the authenticity of his accent. Jude Law is quite easy to understand.)
Somewhere in between the starchy Holmes character played by Jeremy Brett and the dumb buddy-cop version here lies the true character.
I would not recommend this movie to anyone of any age at any time.