PG Blog: Sherlock Holmes – a Review

Posted on | December 31, 2009 | No Comments

Sherlock Holmes is, make no mistake about it, a Guy Ritchie film from the first moments. But, it’s a Guy Ritchie film about one of the most iconic characters ever and in my opinion, a right fun rolicking flick. The film suffers from an anemic plot, but sparkling performances from Rachael McAdams as Irene Adler and Robert Downey Jr. as the inimitable Sherlock Holmes lift it up by its very bootstraps. Mark Strong & Eddie Marsan are excellent supporting characters as Lord Blackwood and Inspector Lastrade respectively and add to the rich tapestry as it unfolds on the screen. Only Jude Law (Dr. Watson) suffers from a bout of under-developed acting. One does have to get past the memories of the overly stiff performance of Basil Rathbone as Holmes and embrace the Robert Downey Jr./Guy Ritchie interpretation which, to my mind, is more true to the incredibly smart, but slovenly, cocaine-addicted character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The environment created for the movie is a beautiful CGI-rendered London in its late industrial phase complete with a suitable coat of grime & soot.
The beautiful attention to Holme’s home and the laboratory of the bad guys finishes off the look with a steampunk aesthetic – which is currently very popular. In short, I can highly recommend the movie to anyone with a desire to indulge in a bit of escapism, of which I’m sure Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would approve.

~PGK