Hoping for a better sequel

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2010)

Much like the new Star Trek movie, Guy Ritchie's take on Sherlock Holmes breathes new, albeit imperfect, life into the master detective. Powered along by two energetic and engaging performances, this film is fun, funny and action-packedif a little ragged and unpolished.
The plot concerns Holmes and Watson (Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law) taking on the mysterious and seemingly mystical Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). After they catch Blackwood trying to sacrifice a young girl, Holmes and Watson see him die on the gallows. When Blackwood seemingly rises from the grave to continue his reign of terror in London, the world's greatest consulting detective and his stout companion must uncover the secrets behind Blackwood's magic and foil his sinister plan to take over the British Empire. Complicating matters is the friction between Holmes and Watson over the good doctor's impending engagement to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), which threatens to end their crime-fighting partnership, and the return of Holmes' old flame, the globe-trotting criminal Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams, who has her own agenda involving Lord Blackwood.
Sherlock Holmes is one of those movies where the things that are good in it are really, really good. The best of those things is the superb job Robert Downey Jr. does in giving us a different but credible take on a legendary character. Downey's Holmes is far removed from the cool, almost disembodied intellect of previous incarnations. His is a brilliantly frazzled genius of loose ends and rough character. He's less Basil Rathbone and more Tom Baker, the fourth Doctor from the British TV series "Doctor Who". Jude Law is Downey's equal, transforming Dr. Watson from slow-witted sidekick into a pillar of strength on which Holmes relies. This Watson may not be as clever as Holmes, but he's his equal in every other respect.
Downey and Law together are tremendous. Their chemistry as actors blossoms into their deep friendship as characters. This Holmes and Watson enjoy each others' company almost as much as they enjoy battling the forces of evil and it shows in everything they say and every move they make. Downey and Law could make a dozen more Sherlock Holmes films and they'd always be a treat to watch.
Director Ritchie also gives us a visually charged look at Victorian London that manages to be interesting without recalling the processed unreality of the disastrous mess that was Will Smith's Wild Wild West movie. Ritchie may have supercharged the energy and pace of Victorian life to make it more palatable to the Age of Twitter, but he keeps things grounded enough to avoid looking ridiculous.
Now, like the new Star Trek film, you don't have to look too hard to find quite a few flaws in this new version of Sherlock Holmes. The story is rather labored and when its mysteries are finally laid bare, you can't help but notice they're all closer to Scooby Doo than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Rachel McAdams is also more a hindrance than a help to anything. She's a beautiful woman and a fine actress, but she doesn't have the natural sass and strength for this sort of role. Compared to the solid and sharp Kelly Reilly as Watson's future bride, McAdams seems limp and lifeless when matched against Downey. That Irene Adler looks to be about one-third the age of Sherlock Holmes is also kind of glaringly incongruous. This script, as well, does one of the most thick-fingering jobs of setting up a sequel that you'll ever see. In addition, Ritchie's direction is weirdly unsettled. A couple of his action scenes are nearly indecipherable and there are times it feels like he's fighting against the flow of his actors and their dialog.
None of those problems change the fact that I like this movie. It's not perfect, but Sherlock Holmes is a damn sight better than the unadulterated crap that Hollywood too often spits out at us. It's fast without being frantic, light-hearted without being stupid and it's always working hard to try and entertain its audience. I hope Downey and Law get a chance to make a great Sherlock Holmes film. For now, I'm content with the good one they've already made.