Surprisingly Good

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2010)

I happened upon this movie by chance, as I had been intent on seeing Avatar until I realized the length was practically 3 hours, which will no longer cut it in theaters unless I am SURE it's going to be spectacular. I came in with almost no expectations, having vaguely seen the trailer somewhere and really only knowing Jude Law was in the cast.
Which was completely amazing by the way. I will single out Law as the best performance (I do admit to a bias on that part), his take on Watson was a wonderful new (and can't help it- sexy) spin on the character. Robert Downey Jr. took a while to warm up to- I was beginning to worry in the first half if we hadn't made a mistake because his character was hardly investable in the beginning. And truthfully it was his relationship with Watson that saved him- wonderfully acted and set up.
The story was unlike the slim slice of Sherlock fare I've seen- gone was the stuffy old-man-ness and the deerstalker hat. There was a lot more kick-butt than the originals, which doesn't bother me, but the film definitely pumped up the (at times slap-happy) action aspects. Which doesn't say that the mystery suffered. Actually, I found the deductive skills of our favorite detective nicely highlighted- his most dangerous weapon was obviously his head. I was worried for a time that we were going to spin off into supernatural realms, but was pleased to find everything resolved (minus the obvious sequel setup) in the traditional Holmes manner.
The style of the film was also very intriguing. It was beautifully done, though at times a little too obviously digital. The way the camera got into Holmes' head was cool- reminded me of spook films, but tripped me up from time to time. The pounding, almost Indian inspired soundtrack was unlike most anything I'd heard for that kind of film- really fun and different.
This was really a surprise hit for me. What actually struck me the most was how clean it was. Very little language, the innuendo was mild, not a sex scene to be had. Without the gratuitous violence, this could have easily passed for PG. Which is a shame, as it was a thoroughly engaging film- I did get the feeling they padded a lot of the fighting so it would get more attention as "adult PG13" over "kiddie PG." Even though the effects were as entertaining as they were gruesome, it still bothers me that people feel that they cannot relate on a mature level to something that is "clean". Call it a pet peeve.
All in all- really gripping for a first viewing. But I was also aware that I was missing many details that would make further viewings enjoyable. And if there is to be a sequel, (as it seems obvious there must be) I would most certainly be in line.