Sherlock Holmes 033010

Sherlock Holmes has had Lord Blackwood arrested following a cult ceremony and he is supplementally hung. A few days later, Blackwood rises from the grave starting a cat and mouse game between the two as Holmes tries to stop his plot to take over the British Empire. All this while dealing with the impending marriage of his good friend Watson and the arrival of the one who literally and figuratively got away.

When this movie was forthcoming, for those who regularly research movies, a big deal was made of this movie’s homoeroticism and how hints about the extremeness of Watson and Holmes relationship would be played out. The actors, Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr, even talked about these things quite frequently. This is mentioned in the positive paragraph because all of those claims are total bull. I was looking and couldn’t find anything. The only possible place where you could find this would be in Holmes attempts to talk Watson out of getting married but it’s really done out of fear of losing his only good friend. Now, onto other things. This is filmed like a detective show but with a Holmes twist. Like shows like Psych and Monk you are shown every clue and given every hint about every aspect of the mystery, but unlike those shows they aren’t pointed out to you. If you really pay attention, like Holmes, and if you know what everything is, like Holmes, you can in fact figure the whole thing out. I did not but it was still fun. Another thing that people were unsure about was the true notion that Holmes would be a more prolific fighter, and boy was he. However, this new touch to Holmes was done in a very Holmes way. I won’t spoil it but it’s awesome. The movie is superbly shot and actually feels like it could be in Victorian England. The dialogue is excellent, fast paced, and witty. I was looking forward to this movie from the time that it was announced because I love Guy Ritchie and this was old school Guy Ritchie. All the actors are excellent, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Jude Law but he won me over and who in this country doesn’t like Rachel McAdams?

I’m having to reach for the negatives. Some of the dialogue is too fast and you feel you missed something and parts are too quiet. I caught a lot because I was expecting as such but my parents and brother did have a little trouble. Beyond that I really can’t think of a negative.

Don’t rent, buy this movie. It’s one of the best popcorn movies of 09 and you’ll want to watch it several times so you save money in the long run. Solid A.