Sherlock Holmes, Now on DVD

Despite the fact that Sherlock Holmes was recommended to me months ago, while it was still in theaters, I never got around to seeing it.  I'll admit that part of the reason I stayed away from the adaptation is that despite any recommendation, I was a skeptic.  A big fan of the original stories, I had little faith that they would be done deserved justice, particularly in director Guy Ritchie's less than capable hands.  Need I remind everyone about Ritchie and Madonna's magnum mistake Swept Away?  I guess love really does make people do stupid things.  Well now after seeing the movie, I realize I should've had a bit more blind faith.  It's actually quite good, even if it is a bit of a stretch.

Of what I remember of the original turn of the century shorts, the movie is really just a nod to the character of Holmes, hardly the true spirit of the original.  While the stories implied he's well versed in martial arts, boxing and sword play, Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes was not an action hero by any stretch of the imagination.  He wasn't a card carrying NRA member and didn't need a stunt double either.  However, Ritchie's Holmes seems to pull more from Tom Clancy than from Doyle, which will certainly annoy purists.

Many of the character's nuances do remain in tact, including the pipe smoking and violin playing.  Though curiously they left out the character's big cocaine and opium addictions.  Evidently he's cleaned up his act for a new generation.  So, since he's played by Robert Downey Jr., is that supposed to be art imitating life?  The 21st century movie Holmes is also much more of a ladies man than his practically asexual literary counterpart.  He might as well have had on a crushed velvet smoking jacket with a glass of burgundy in hand.  His relationship with the fictional Irene Adler is all sex charged up in the movie, when in the series it could hardly be called a romance at all.

Still, all that aside, the movie is wildly fun and entertaining.  It's clever, witty and amusing with a story that successfully balances action, suspense and mystery with half as much gratuity than I expected.  It was nicely updated for a 21st century audience and respectful to the original even despite its creative licensing.  It's not your grandpa's Sherlock Holmes, but that's ok.  Don't fight it baby, just let Robert Downey Jr. whisper sweet deductions in your ear and succumb to him.

Speaking of Downey, he is easily the movie's best attribute and seems to be genuinely enjoying himself, which is infectious.  Downey's Holmes and Jude Law's Watson play well off one another and are immensely fun to watch.  Though it must be said, Downey's accent is a bit muddled at times and seriously annoying at others, when you can't understand a damn thing he says.  He might as well have been speaking Swahili for the first five minutes of the movie cause I couldn't figure out what the hell he was saying.  It's as if he had a mouth full of marbles half the time.  Please Robert, Meryl already personified Julia Child's warbled dialect this year, we don't need our new Holmes serving up some chicken cordon bleu too.  As the love interest Irene Adler, Rachel McAdams looks the part, but I'm not so sure she pulls off acting it.  I'm a fan of hers, but felt she was just a bit off the mark on this one.

In the technical department, the movie's camera work was also very compelling, particularly during Holmes' deduction processes, which are great fun to watch.  Both the writing and art direction are also of a much greater quality than I expected, not nearly as cheesy as anticipated.  Composer Hans Zimmer takes a bit of a departure from his normal score, which was a nice addition and really enhanced the movie.  I would've said the costuming was great, except for the fact that they totally emasculate Holmes by giving him a fanny pack for his gadgets. "Dammit, the door is locked.  Good thing I have a lock pick here in my European tourist's best friend!"  Please.

While Guy Ritchie has never really caught my attention before, his work here has certainly given me pause from writing him off.  And despite its mixed reviews, which I really think were about purists vs. revisionists, I highly enjoyed this movie.  I'm not saying it's flawless, but it's definitely not the colossal flop I anticipated.  Instead it was quite original and I eagerly anticipate the sequel.  So if you haven't already seen it, the game is afoot my dear Watson and DO A MATINEE!