 DVD Review - Sherlock Holmes
By Tamsin Cracknell
Occasionally, there arrives a book-to-movie franchise so glaringly obvious that audiences are left wondering: “What took them so long?” Well, congratulations, Warner Brothers, on winning the race to reinvent Sherlock Holmes – and on doing it rather well.
In dank, slummy London, Holmes exposes despicable occult murderer Lord Blackwood, and after the hanging, the case appears closed. But dark forces are at work: Blackwood's tomb bursts open from the inside, and the man in the coffin is not the murderer. Three more will die – unless Holmes and Watson can unravel Blackwood's evil plans in time.
In this 74th incarnation, Holmes is played by perennial nutcase Robert Downey Jr, who is just the right amount of eccentric, sarcastic and mischievous to make us wonder if Conan Doyle wrote the genius detective mysteries with him in mind.
More notable, however, is Holmes' “street cred” makeover. It was inevitable that the director of action-packed crime comedies Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch would imbue his rendition with his signature fistfight choreography. But to the dismay of traditionalists, the mystery angle is somewhat eclipsed by numerous beautifully orchestrated combat scenes, the last of which takes place atop the impressively reconstructed half-finished landmark of Tower Bridge.
 Jude Law's Dr Watson is equally unconventional: a soon-to-be-married war veteran, he is more the disapproving babysitter than the subservient sidekick of previous interpretations. Rachel McAdams as femme fatale Irene Adler lends a welcome womanly touch and, as in the books, sets the story up for the sequel.
Chemistry between the three leads is electric, and provides the film with what little dramatic substance it has. Not that we're complaining – Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes is a circus of wit, action and intrigue, and if the franchise rumours are to be believed, we have more to look forward to.
Pros: Robert Downey Jr in a brilliant role that might be serialised
Cons: Not very mysterious for a mystery
Digital Life says: Put aside your preconceptions and prepare to be entertained
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