Sherlock Holmes

Fans of the original Sherlock Holmes character may not be pleased with this Hollywoodized, styled up version, most notably because he actually likes a woman. However, I believe this movie should be viewed in the mindset that it's a Hollywood bastardization and as such will suffer in translation, because as a Hollywood action/mystery flick, it's pretty good.

The casting, for one, is spot on. Robert Downey Jr. as a drunken, witty, and tortured yet brilliant mind is wonderful, and Jude Law as his basically better half (though still not without his own issues) couldn't have done better. Rachel McAdams as the main love interest obviously has some fun fighting right along with the boys and tricking Holmes as often as she can. The rest of the supporting cast fill their roles well.

Unfortunately the script just isn't up to their caliber. The art styling, sets, and costumes are great and convey a deathly gloom, the fights are a bit too fast paced but still carry impact and action, and the cast is certainly up to snuff...but the script unfortunately makes little use of all the right components.

The plot involves a member of a secret magical society murdering people to gain the power of the dark arts and then using that magic to gain control of the world. Holmes steps in right at the beginning and in stops him, he gets hanged, and then revives from the grave. Holmes is then left to hunt him down and stop his nefarious plans. Meanwhile an old flame, a thief who has outsmarted him twice, shows up with plans of her own and working for a mysterious professor, thus walking the fine line between helping Holmes and helping herself. And all the while poor Watson just tries to get married. It certainly isn't a dense plot, and the ending (and subsequent explanation of all the "magic") can be easily guessed at since it follows the tradition of a standard mystery plot. Of course, there are some things that only Holmes can figure out (unless you know the chemical properties of rhododendron) but they feel a little cheap and not the result of some masterful deduction.

But of course, it would be able to get away with that if the characters were likable. Like Star Trek, not the best plot but the characters gave it a humor and depth that made it great. Unfortunately the script doesn't exactly give the wonderful actors in Sherlock Holmes much to work with. It tries too hard to find the line between being a serious mystery with a seriously flawed protagonist, and a light-hearted witty comedy and as such falls short of both. The few scenes we are given where Holmes is basically a drunken, drugged mess it's unclear as to whether they're trying to give him depth or make us laugh at him. The comedy itself is great in places, but all too often the wit is just not that witty. There certainly are many laugh out loud moments, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it just could've been so much better in the hands of a more adept screenwriter.

However, the movie carries a nice charm to it that the actors deliver despite the limitations of the script, and if there's a sequel, as there will most assuredly be, I'll be there to see it.

Sherlock Holmes gets a 7.5/10.