BOTTOM
LINE:
“Sherlock Holmes”
is something of a surprise packet; entertaining, fast-paced and
true to the spirit and substance of the original Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle stories, but with modern twists and quirky updates to the
characters that purists may hate but work surprisingly well.
THE
GOOD: The previews
for “Sherlock Holmes” emphasised the comedy and action
to an extent that I wondered whether or not it could be taken seriously.
Surprisingly, director Guy Ritchie has fashioned a tale that is
very true to the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The
mysterious Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) is hanged for the murder
of five women, but somehow manages to rise from the dead, and in
the process, sets about a plan where he will take over the world
as the representative of an evil, supernatural power. The quirky,
and extremely eccentric Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and
his reluctant assistant Dr. Watson (Jude Law) unravel the mystery
using their brilliant means of deduction and discover Blackwood
is a total fraud, but a smart one who knew how to manipulate scientific
methods to make himself look otherworldly. What works well is the
fact that the story works just as well as the original tales, with
Holmes finding the most logical explanation for the otherwise extraordinary
situation. Director Guy Ritchie has made some cosmetic changes,
upping the action quotient, and making great use of Robert Downey
Jr to portray a Sherlock Holmes that is more eccentric and whacky
rather than the composed English gentleman; this works well and
is a surprise. The mystery is engaging, as is the gradual appearance
of super villain Moriarty, who we never actually see, but will no
doubt appear in the inevitable sequel. “Sherlock Holmes”
is great entertainment, and manages to update a story that has been
done many times before but in a fresh and energetic way.
