Typically ruined by Hollywood

Rating: 3/10 (22 January 2012)

I will say all the good things first, then I can rant. This film was visually stunning. It was also pretty well acted especially by Jude Law, although he is obviously too young to be Watson. Robert Downey Jr. is also pretty good and his natural charm makes me want to like his character. I also quite enjoyed Stephen Fry's part as Mycroft, it was a nice surprise. I'm a little dubious about the casting of Moriarty, but he wasn't awful I guess. In fact I feel that the same actors with a different director and script would have made this film top-class.
OK now the bad bits. It is trying to be FAR too cool for it's own good. And you know what happens when people try to be cool - they come off as posers and losers. I'm all for a bit of action, and yet this film just ruins Holmes by making him a martial artist, super slow mo, extra cool, thug. Holmes could box and he was a cane fighter. Why not just put that in??? It would have been great.
Another major gripe is the complete lack of any real deduction, questioning or intelligence. I know, let's just make him dress in about 4 different silly outfits and every now and then he can jump to some conclusions! Then the final nail in the coffin was the over-the-top story which reminded me of the absurdity of 'the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'. I'm all for suspending belief in a plot line, but there is a limit and I reached it about half way through this film.
If you want a decent modern take on Sherlock Holmes I highly recommend 'Sherlock' the BBC series. The setting is modern, but the acting and characterisation are just the right temperament to transcend the classic stories into a modern setting. It depends how much of a Holmes puritan you are! For many, Jeremy Brett IS Holmes simple as that.