Description
The hangman did his job, Dr. Watson declared the condemned man dead...yet Lord Blackwood has emerged from the tomb to assert his deadly will over 1890 London. Is he in league with the forces of hell itself? Is the whole Empire in peril? It's a mystery macabre--and only Sherlock Holmes can master it.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law put memorable imprints on Holmes and Watson in this bold new reimagining that makes the legendary sleuth a daring man of action as well as a peerless man of intellect. Baffling clues, astonishing Holmesian deductions, nimble repartee, catch-your-breath scenes of one slam thing after another--director Guy Ritchie helms the excitement reintroducing the great detective to the world. Meet the new Sherlock Holmes!

Amazon.com
Guy Ritchie ( Snatch , RocknRolla ) attempts to reinvent one of the world's most iconic literary figures as an action hero in this brawny, visually arresting period adventure. Robert Downey Jr. is an intriguing choice for the Great Detective, and if he occasionally murmurs his lines a pitch or two out of hearing range, his trademark bristling energy and off-kilter humor do much to sell Ritchie's notion of Holmes. Jude Law is equally well-equipped as a more active Dr. Watson--he's closer to Robert Duvall's vigorous portrayal in The Seven Per-Cent Solution than to Nigel Bruce--and together, they make for an engaging team. Too bad the plot they're thrust into is such a mess--a bustling and disorganized flurry of martial arts, black magic, and overwhelming set pieces centered around Mark Strong's Crowley-esque cult leader (no Professor Moriarty, he), who returns from the grave to exact revenge. Downey and Law's amped-up Holmes and Watson are built for the challenge of riding this roller coaster with the audience; however, Rachel McAdams as Holmes's love interest, Irene Adler (here a markedly different character than the one in Arthur Conan Doyle's "A Scandal in Bohemia"), and Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan, the future Mrs. Watson, are cast to the wind in the wake of Ritchie's hurricane pace. One can imagine this not sitting well with ardent Sherlockians; all others may find this Sherlock Holmes marvelous if calorie-free popcorn entertainment, with the CGI rendering of Victorian-era London particularly appealing eye candy. --Paul Gaita

Date: 07/28/2010
Summary: A "Reboot" of the Classic
Rating: 3
Essentially a soft steampunk "reboot" of the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, "Sherlock Holmes" depicts the title character as a restless, obsessive mind in need of constant stimulation. Watson isn't as much the fool as he's been in previous cinematic incarnations, and the two know how to dish out combat and thrills 90's-style.

The movie is packed with juicy production design and writing - it might be worth a second viewing if you can get past squirming through unabashed depictions of demonic worship (despite whatever rationality you possess). Is Guy Ritchie throwing out rebellion against his former lover's (Madonna) embrace of Kaballah?

Date: 07/25/2010
Summary: Missing Dolby 5.1 in English
Rating: 2
Enjoyable movie, but my comments pertain to the Blu-ray disc. For some reason the studio decided to release this with English surround sound encoded in DTS only. French (and Spanish?) are encoded as Dolby 5.1, but not English. Those of us who prefer the Queen's tongue but are otherwise without DTS systems are plain out of luck. Sans DTS, we are left with Dolby Pro Logic, which is just not comparable, and on my otherwise well balanced system, sounds way too bass heavy for some reason.

A real drag, though the film looks fine otherwise.

Date: 07/25/2010
Summary: Never received this item
Rating: 1
I am sure I would have enjoyed itbut the dealer never shipped it to me

Date: 07/24/2010
Summary: Great fun movie
Rating: 4
This movie got some very harsh critiques but it's a fun movie. Downey and Law are great. The movie has interesting plot twists and good flow. It's not amazingly memorable but it's worth checking out.

Date: 07/24/2010
Summary: "It's a long journey from here to the rope."
Rating: 4
This might not be the best thing to watch if you have a preconceived idea of Holmes and Watson from the books or the classic "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1939) with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. You do not want to besmirch the image.

Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) in this presentation is just as observant as usual but is better informed of different disciplines that the original. He uses wily disguises and beautiful women to accomplish his goal of detecting and foiling the cunning bad guys. This looks like the pilot for a series or at least the beginning of a film series.

Dr. Watson (Jude Law) is more of second Holms but a different set of bad habits. He saves Holmes' bacon several times. However, Watson wants to go his own way and settle down with his newfound love Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams.)

This looks like the pilot for a series or at least the beginning of a film series. Holmes is bantering with the insidious Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) who has recently risen from the dead and is determined to create a new world order. Little does he know that they are all pawns in a larger scheme by "you know who." Oh, all right I will say it Professor Moriarty.

This looks like the pilot for a series or at least the beginning of a film series.

Keep watching as the final credits role by. It is nice to see that they tie the names of the character and the actors together with pictures of the characters. I cannot stand disembodies names scrolling by. The is a picture of a naked man, handcuffed to the bead and the caption "Costumes Designer Jenny Beavan"

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

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