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`Over the years, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective has undergone a number of changes, and Guy Ritchie’s modern take on Sherlock Holmes proves no different.
Ritchie has a formidably witty script that does not get bogged down by its vanilla, “Bondesque” story line. Lord Blackwood wants to take over the world with black magic. Ritchie compensates for a limp plot with special effects and “Matrix” style violence.
The only thing that actually works in this movie is the fresh dynamic between Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Watson (Jude Law). Adaptations have failed in the past by making Holmes too cold and calculating and Watson into a bumbling idiot. So instead of having a Sherlock Holmes who just uses his head, we have Robert Downey Jr., who can take on Jaws with his bare hands.
Holmes and Watson both have powerful minds, but Holmes is the more insightful of the two. Watson appears less like the intellectual foil he has in the past and more of an emotional foil, treating Holmes like a child who can’t actually confess his true feelings. Their relationship almost borders on homo erotic, with Holmes caring a bit too much about breaking up Watson and his fiancee and not enough about Rachel McAdams being lit on fire. McAdams plays the debonair Irene Adler competently, but her role in the story feels a bit tagged on. Adler, a criminal mastermind, is the only woman with wits to match Sherlock Holmes. She’s the Catwoman to Holmes’ Batman, leaving Watson with the small mask and yellow cape.
Jude Law, for perhaps the first time in his career, plays a character that you don’t want to punch in the face every time he opens his mouth.
Robert Downey Jr. is the main reason the film was a popular success and not a critical success. Had they casted a Sherlock Holmes without sex appeal, the movie would’ve taken on a more reserved tone in line with Doyle’s series. However, having Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes proved to be a smart move, as he succeeds in exuding Holmes’s grace, intellect and wit while at the same time bringing a raw energy to the character.
Reviews for the film have been a mixed bag. Some think the movie is a dumbed down, populist insult to the Sherlock Holmes series while others think it’s a refreshing touch-up. Even the classiness/tackiness of Rachel McAdam’s outfits can not be agreed upon. Perhaps if the film had a smaller budget, eschewing over-the-top distracting action scenes, Ritchie would have a movie on his hands that could be a classic. While it’s unlikely to stand the test of time, “Sherlock Holmes” does hold your attention and prove an entertaining addition to a series that has fallen by the wayside.