Sherlock Holmes product reviews

O-M-G! What a wonderful reinvention of a classic sleuth!

With today's trend of making things darker and grittier than the versions of our youth, it was interesting to see how they would handle the reinvention of The Gentleman Detective himself... and what a wonderful surprise this turned out to be.

Gone is the sophisticated, genteel, almost sublime guardian angel of Baker Street, here we find a mere mortal man, gifted with a level of perception and intellect not quite as unmatched by his peers as he would wish, though still far in excess of those with whom he is surrounded.

Watson is a man amongst men, a gambling addict trying to rehabilitate himself, and in love with a 'woman with history' who accepts him for who he is, rather than for whom he associates with... for *this* Sherlock is not the suave sophisticate the classic tales portray. He is rough, unable to control his tongue or comprehend social niceties, speaks his mind plainly even at the detriment of his health or the case he is working on... I would almost say he has been recast as someone with high-functioning Asperger's Syndrome - He's brilliant in a limited range of situations.

The fights are great, especially the one's where Holmes mentally choreographs events, then plays them out as though they were rehearsed with the victim earlier. I was impressed by Downey's rendition of Holmes... he brought a rather realistic grit and desperation to the character that made the recasting 'stick' - it didn't feel like someone trying to be a different Holmes, it felt very natural to watch.

Jude Law plays a rather different version of Watson as well, and again, excellent work on the part of the casting agents, they nailed it here too. Where they did let themselves down though was with the fem fatale Irene Adler, played by Rachel McAdams... she did not really sit well in her assumed skin I fear. Her performance didn't ring as smooth and true for me as the other characters. Despite that, she did a fairly passable job here... just.

Overall, this was a great movie to watch. I wish I had been able to see it on the big screen though, as I think that would have really made it sing to it's best... but a home screen is better than none, and it worked wonders for something to keep me glued to the screen. I was especially taken by the diabolical plot twist right at the end that was utterly unpredictable in foresight, but obvious in hindsight. Doncha just hate that?