Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Pretty Good

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England. Even tho the casting of Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes proves to be alright the film as a whole is just meh. Director Guy Ritchie turns Sherlock Holmes into a somewhat buddy comedy starring Junior and Jude Law where there's explosions, one liners and lots of comedy that just doesn't work for me as a whole. It's not a complete failure of the movie but i think Junior should stick playing Tony Stark and Iron Man rather than Holmes especially since their making a 3rd one pretty damn soon for some reason i guess. (5/10)

I like Sherlock Holmes. I like the books. I like the old Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce movies. I was not particularly keen on Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law or the gor-blimey direction of Guy Ritchie. So it was with trepidation that I approached this new movie version of the Baker St sleuth. Ready to find fault I found myself warmly engaged from the start. The good chemistry between Downey and Law is a joy throughout. There is something tragi-comically Withnail and I about them so, if Withnail floats your boat, this may be the Holmes for you. The use of CGI is not overbearing and creates a very credible Holmesian London. The supporting actors are, without exception, excellent; special credit to Mark Strong, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan, Geraldine James and Kelly Reilly. It has now become one of the films I can watch over and over; as comforting as the crackle from the hearth on a winter day. If you, like me, are a fan of Sherlock Holmes and you have not yet watched this film then I hope it will prove as much of a pleasant surprise to you as it did to me. Highly recommended. Well done, Mr Richie.

While there have been countless film and television portrayals of Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson, the whodunnit genre is never one that audiences tire of, so why not continue to make them? Robert Downey Jr. stars as the famed literary detective, with Jude Law at his side. When I first heard of this film's production, I learned the cast and thought, "Oh, Jude Law will make a great Sherlock Holmes!" But, as is sometimes the case, Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg's script wrote Holmes to be the eccentric one with Watson as the straight man. Thus, Jude Law took second billing and saved his talent for later.Robert Downey Jr. already proved his flawless British accent in Chaplin, so it's no stretch to see him blend into his surroundings. However, he's one of those love-him-or-leave-him actors, and this movie probably won't change the opinion you already have of him. If you think he's talented, handsome, and funny, you'll like Sherlock Holmes. If you think he's overrated and emits an ego larger than his talent, you won't like it.Director Guy Ritchie added an extra technical difference to his film, one that's also a love-it-or-leave-it feature. In the many action scenes throughout the film-this isn't a wordy mystery, it's an action-comedy-the footage is slowed down at random moments, showing details that would normally be impossible to spot. Someone throws a punch, and the camera shows the ripple of skin when contact is made, the expectorate from the injured man's mouth, and the low groan of pain to coincide with the slowed down footage. I found it a little too modern and jarring; I would have preferred every aspect to fit with the time period.

"Sherlock Holmes" fails in every way imaginable. There isn't one aspect of this film that feels fresh and original, which is vital for remaking a story and putting it to life. Robert Downy Jr. and Jude Law play Holmes and Watson, giving forced and fake performances while lacking any chemistry between the detective partnership. Let's just say this film moves slower than a tortoise, taking forever to become interesting or engaging. What would have helped is if it was made with more of a dark undertone, gripping the audience in to a more complex portrayal of crime and law. Instead we're forced to sit through two hours of ridiculous one-liners and dull action that never helps move the story forward.