No $hit, $herlock!

Rating: 10/10 (15 January 2010)

Best Holmes I've seen, period. Finally, a version that isn't stuck touring the studies, libraries, and drawing rooms of Great Britain! And no silly hat or spyglass! Holmes was never meant to be some prim, cerebral stick-in-the-mud. He was always written as an edgy, obsessive, undisciplined genius with a tinge of a dark side. That is exactly how Downey captures him. I loved the martial art techniques, they seemed like just something as original as is worthy of the character. Let's not forget, Holmes is not a real person, and no actual human could ever be Sherlock Holmes. He's always just a little superhuman, in a very subtle way. Also remember that we are not yet in the mature range of Holmes' career. Moriarity is merely a shadow on the fringe of the story. I would expect at least 3-4 sequels to this film. If I've been forced to snore through umpteen Basil Rathbone and bumbling Nigel Bruce flicks over the years, surely this version deserves its set of sequels. (Actually, my favorite Holmes before this one was always Peter Cushing, who did not make enough films as Holmes, in my opinion.)