Great Movie, Though It Isn't the Sherlock I Imagined

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2010)

From the trailer alone, I knew that Guy Ritchie's take on Arthur Conan Doyle's classic character Sherlock Holmes was a departure from what I had imagined this ace detective to be as I read his books. Of course, the keen eye for detail and the amazing powers of deduction Holmes is well-known for is there. But seeing Holmes shirtless, bare-knuckle boxing for money, and looking like Robert Downey Jr., was certainly not the image of Sherlock I had in mind.
The lead cast is instrumental in bringing this film to vivid life. Robert Downey Jr. recreates the role of Sherlock Holmes and made it his own. His delivery of those witty one-liners are too funny. Jude Law is very good in his portrayal of the fastidious Dr. Watson. He also isn't exactly what I imagined Watson to be, but is close enough. Their chemistry together is impeccable, very effective in driving this film forward.
However, I did not really like the main supporting cast. Rachel Mc Adams, I do not really like this actress since "The Notebook", and I think she wasted the Irene Adler character. Mark Strong as the main villain Lord Blackwood, had a strong and sinister face on close-ups, but his overall appearance and bearing in full body shots were not imposing enough to conjure fear in the audience.
Nonetheless, this was a very good movie. The script was interesting, humorous and intelligent. The action sequences were exciting and well-executed. They made good use of computer imagery to recreate Victorian London and the diabolical mysteries afoot. Overall, this was a very good mainstream effort by Guy Ritchie. He had succeeded to transform the cerebral Sherlock of old into a brawny blockbuster hero fit for these hyperactive times.