A blockbuster (with the weaknesses that that brings) but entertaining and fun with good work by Downey and Law

Rating: Null/10 (7 January 2010)

Having themselves witnessed the hanging and burial of murder and self-styled "master of the occult" Lord Blackwood, Holmes and Watson can close another case – perhaps their last since Watson is planning to settle into marriage. However, a ruptured tomb and a missing corpse suggest that there may be something to Blackwood's threat to Holmes to return from beyond the grave and commit further crimes. With London in the grip of a panic over the supposed resurrection of Blackwood, Holmes and Watson attempt to solve the mystery even as the stakes are escalating.
The news that Mockney king Guy Ritchie was working on a new film of Sherlock Holmes was greeted by many (including myself) with trepidation at best and outright horror at worst. The inability of Ritchie to break away from the clichés and rather tired genre that he himself helped create led me to assume that he would simply be doing another version of his one trick but with a character probably called Sherlock "Sleuther" Holmes in it. Although there is an element of Ritchie doing his usual stuff, this didn't turn out to be the case because the film is all rather entertaining and makes for an enjoyable winter blockbuster – perhaps not impressive enough to slug it out in the summer season, but certainly good enough to be in cinemas now. It must be said that some will have an issue with Holmes as a bare-knuckle fighter and other such "updates" but my attitude is that the Rathbone/Bruce films from the 1940's were not the most faithful either and put entertainment as their focus – to the point that Holmes was moved forward in time to join the war effort against the Nazis for several films.
So the question is whether or not this new Holmes film is entertaining or not and whether or not the many liberties taken will annoy the casual viewer or not. The answer can be found by watching the film because mostly it is very easy to enjoy as a blockbuster film. The plot has weaker moments but is mostly good enough to keep things moving and, while it does rely on special effects and convenience at times, it does have sufficient meat (or at least appearance of meat) to make you feel like there is some logical substance to it. Of course the plot produces a lot of action, which is mostly reasonably good but is certainly not as exciting as it could have been. The editing is part of the problem as it employs a blurry style that seems to detract more than it adds. The use of CGI as well is best described as "solid" because while not bad, it is not as seamless or as well-used as one would have hoped. While mentioning the visuals I will add that, while it may have just been a poor projection in my screening, the whole film seemed poorly lit – I'm fine with a Gothic dimness, but this was murky across the board and just made it harder to watch rather than adding atmosphere.
Ritchie's direction is solid as well. He produces some of his usual tricks but I did like his use of slow-motion at key moments, not because it made those moments more exciting (it didn't – indeed it makes it a bit less so), but rather because it is different and does give the film a feel that makes it stand out a little from the other blockbusters that would do everything as fast and as noisy as possible. The main selling point of the film is not all this though, but rather the main thing that makes it fun – which is the good work of the cast. Downey is surprisingly good as Holmes – a fun character with a playful logic but also selfish and perhaps self-destructive streak. Likewise Law plays his Watson well, perhaps not bringing a lot to the character but allowing for the relationship between the two to be part of the film. Strong is a good villain of the piece, while Marsan does a typically "two steps behind" Lestrade. McAdams is good but it must be said that I did get the feel that most of her performance was about how good-looking she is rather than her abilities as an actress – it works though.
The decision to leave Moriarty as character in the background is a good one because it gives the sequel(s) a strong card to play – and one that I would return to watch. Ritchie's Holmes is not without weaknesses but it is solid enough to entertain, thanks mostly to the good turns from Downey and Law (individually and together) adding to the sense of fun that the film has.