Review: Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie succeeds in re-imagining the classic detective.

The biggest thing about making a movie called Sherlock Holmes is that you have to deal with a lot of pre-conceptions about the character with an older audience: the double-billed hat, the pipe, the magnifying glass and the “Elementary, my dear Watson” line and, of course, the images of the lanky actors who have portrayed him before…if none of this stuff conjures up any images to you, then you’re ready to see Guy Ritchie’s version of Sherlock Holmes!

This new Sherlock Holmes seems like part-Gotham by Gaslight Batman, part-Steampunk Iron Man and part-Victorian Gil Grissom. Downey’s Holmes mixes methodical fighting skills, witty Lethal Weapon-like barbs with his partner and a slight case of Ol’ English ADD that really kicks the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character in the testicles. And hard.

The story adds equal parts mystery, action, romance and black magic into a satisfying and very stylish romp; a great setting to bring the scientific Holmes and Watson against a foe with unknown powers. The backdrop of 1875 London is so drearily rendered, it’s almost as if it was a character itself in the movie. A a great cast and fun, loose direction make this movie a great follow-up to fans of Downey’s turn as Tony Stark in last year’s Iron Man.

Jude Law’s Dr. Watson is also turned on his head; the root of his character from the books interpreted in a different way. And, while it’s always great to look at Rachel MacAdams, here her character seems a bit superfluous; other than being the one to keep the plot moving while the two men have their hands full fighting off the henchmen. And yes, there are alot of fights! No wires, no Keysi, just good ol’ fashioned swings and jabs filmed in slow-mo.

Holmes is only as good as his villian, and while his arch nemesis Professor Moriarty is only seen in the shadows, Mark Strong brings a sinister evil to Lord Blackwood that makes you wonder what his next move against Holmes will be?

One of the great scenes in Sherlock Holmes involves the bombing of an old warehouse, with Downey running towards the camera in slow motion as each window blows out around him. A truly fascinating action sequence that shows how CGI in this movie, set in 19th century London, can work almost flawlessly within its surroundings, without looking out of place (although the final battle scene outside did have its bluescreen moments peak through.)

The fighting sequences themselves are unique in that Holmes shows the audience in slow motion exactly how, in 5-6 blows, he will incapacitate his opponent and then goes on to show it at full speed, displaying his quick-mind even in fighting.

Holmes is like a one-man CSI team and, and as he says in the movie, it’s all about the little details that tell everything about a person. A ring imprint, a piece of jewelry, dust on your jacket – if you want to put Sherlock Holmes into a superhero model then his power is his super-brain.

Is there a point to make that this is Guy Ritchie’s return to form after his divorce from Madonna? We’ll leave that be and just say that Ritchie is back and brings style to what looks to be a whole new franchise. Probably not his first choice, but definitely one he grabbed by the horns and brought to the screen the best he can.

Some of the classic things about Sherlock Holmes are in there, but the shout-outs are very subtle: he does have his pipe, he does use a magnifying glass and other tools to detect, and he is a master of disguise. Consider this a steampunk James Bond, with Watson playing his Murtaugh to Holmes’ Riggs.

If you want to pick out once bad thing about this movie, we’d have to say some of the CG was a bit slipshod. While the rendering of Ol’ London is fantastic sometime it seems the lighting guys and teh computer guys weren’t properly speaking to each other and for that fraction of a second it pulls you out of the film. You’ll notice it especially if you went to see Avatar this past weekend.

You can say what you want about this take on Sherlock Holmes – how he never did this and he never did that in the books and, to a certain point, we agree. Since it’s so far removed from Sherlock Holmes, was it even necessary to base it off that character rather than inventing a new one? But, like all movies these days (we’re looking at you Transformers), the Baker Street detective is not above being redefined for a 21st century audience, and the success of this interpretation will show the new generation that Robert IS (much like he IS Iron Man) the NEW Sherlock Holmes!

Overall, a worthwhile visit to the cinema for a rip-roaring exciting first chapter in what will no doubt be a series of films.

This isn’t a spoiler since it’s already been debunked, but what we really wanted to see at the end was Moriarty being revealed to be Brad Pitt, as had been rumoured online, instead of the Batman Begins-type subtle hinting.

Sherlock Holmes opens for a wide release in Hong Kong on December 24th.

Here is Robert Downey Jr. on David Letterman last week: