Welcome Holmes...

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2009)

Ever since watching the first trailer for this movie, I knew it was a film I definitely wanted to see. I'd anxiously been awaiting its release and, thankfully, it did not disappoint. It's a rollicking good time, and only the nitpickers or most hardcore fans of the books might take issue with this "reimagining"/"reinterpretation" of the Sherlock Holmes character. And thank goodness this wasn't an origin story (we didn't need another one of those). What lifts this film from good to great, first and foremost, are the actors. The casting of Robert Downey Jr as Holmes may have been met with some skepticism by certain people, but he pulls out all the stops and delivers an excellent portrayal of the legendary character. His deadpan delivery is well-suited to this role, and he never devolves into being over-the-top or a parody of the character. Instead, he - in large part - is what holds the film together/makes it so good. Jude Law, meanwhile, gives a fine performance as Sherlock's sidekick, Dr. Watson. He and Downey play off each other exceedingly well. Their back and forth banter, as well as their camaraderie, makes the film very enjoyable. They make a great team, and the ease with which the two interact is clear on screen.
Rachel McAdams has also been well cast as the only woman to ever outsmart Holmes, Irene Adler. While from the trailers you may be led to believe she's just around to play the love interest, and nothing much else, she's actually so much more. She's like an unofficial third member of Holmes's team, who has a history with Holmes. Downey and McAdams have an easy chemistry between them, which helps make their past together believable. Although there are times when she does require help, Irene proves on more than one occasion that she can handle herself/is not to be messed with. She's quite formidable, and I enjoyed all her scenes with Holmes or Holmes and Watson. They make quite the trio when on screen together.
Probably the least memorable of the cast was Mark Strong as baddie, Lord Blackwood. He didn't really do anything for me in The Young Victoria, and in this film, I must confess I was not really blown away by any of his scenes either...with perhaps the exception of one scene, after he's been caught and locked up, where he's threatening more death to come - though that's mainly due to the eerie lighting and how the scene's filmed (Blackwood looks as if he has black eyes and it's all very moody. That's one thing this film has in spades - lots of shadows). The other supporting characters are all pretty good (I liked Kelly Reilly as Watson's fiancée), as well as the dog (who's frequently the subject of Holmes's experiments...but don't worry, he remains okay and unharmed).
As mentioned before, the film is quite dark when it comes to lighting. Plenty of gloominess, nicely clouded-over skies and very dirty/unclean in places. Lots of grey. The film is exceptionally shot. Everything looks great, I loved the direction. As for the story - I appreciated the way in which it was told. It's not exactly straight forward (sometimes, it's actually quite nonlinear), but it's not incomprehensible/over-complicated either. What made the start of the film particularly interesting was how we began with seemingly the end of Holmes & Watson's last case together. Throughout the film, there are flashbacks that help explain things - and it's these that I appreciated most. Those who may have problems with the idea of Holmes fighting bare-knuckle in a boxing ring (with Irish pub music playing, no less) should be happy to hear that his most important asset - his intellect - has not been forgotten. It's on display all throughout the film, as we hear (via voice-over) Holmes deducing things/working out problems and how he might neutralise an opponent. Yes, the film has its fair share of slow motion, but it's used well within the story and actually has a *reason* behind it.
I also liked that things were *explained* in the movie by the end. There was one thing in particular that I was wondering if they were ever going to explain...but by the very end, thankfully, they did explain it. This is everything you could want in a film. The great acting, the excellent story, the exciting action (including one particularly tension-filled scene) - it's all present. Then there's the humour. There's just the right amount of it, and it never descends into silliness. The music used throughout the film is also really good (especially the Sherlock Holmes 'theme'). The end of the movie is obviously set up for a sequel (which I hope we do indeed get). So many movies get sequels when, really, they shouldn't...but this movie easily deserves one. If I had one minor quibble with this film, it would be that I missed some of the more interesting shots from the trailer that weren't actually in the film itself.
Sherlock Holmes is a really enjoyable film, from the opening shot (great way of working the WB/Village Roadshow logos into the cobblestone pavement, by the way) to the very nicely-done end credits (with what appear to be sketches of the actors/characters in the film - they're definitely worth sticking around for).
You want to see an excellent film? Well, there isn't any time to waste then, is there? Go see Sherlock Holmes!