A great condensation and reworking of the classic books.

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2010)

I was unsure of what to expect at first, given the book's wordy structure and the trailer's emphasis on the action scenes. However, I was pleasantly surprised by a very entertaining take on Sherlock Holmes. It balanced, very adeptly I might add, both action and mystery. The film is, of course, Holmes trying to get to the bottom of a mystery; the way this is done, however, is very entertaining. The look inside Holmes's mind in the form of short flashes of video, coupled with the grainy style of the movie is very compelling. I especially liked the expositions and the clever ways the film makers used to advance the plot. I feel, in fact, that I am hard pressed to come up with a reasonable complaint, given that all my expectations were met and exceeded. I suppose that it was a tad ridiculous and elaborate, but then it wouldn't be Sherlock Holmes if it was not. I guess my favorite thing about this movie was that, when I left the theater, it made me want to be able to do those crazy detective things. I know they are mostly impossible, but never the less, I really want to be able to examine a given situation and deduce something about it. I realize that the acting was not exactly Godfather level, and that it didn't really leave any haunting psychological questions about human nature in my mind, But I don't really care. It was a really awesome ride.