sherlock holmes (2009)

For my first post I will be reviewing a slightly older movie to try and figure out how my reviewing style will be.

I had always heard that the character of House was inspired by Sherlock Holmes, now I can see how. This Sherlock Holmes has returned to being the antisocial, drug addict of the original stories. Sherlock is played by Robert Downey Jr., who is perfectly cast as this iteration of Sherlock due to his personal life being pretty much the same as Sherlock's around ten years prior to the making of the film. A now competent Watson is played by Jude Law. Going with the House comparison, one of the flaws of the movie is that the plot is usually less interesting than the characters. Jr. and Law have great chemistry with each other. you believe that these two have been together for a long time and that their bromance is strong if a little strained. The story however seems a little weak in places such as the part with (spoiler) Professor Moriarty and the love interest which just seem shoe-horned into the plot for sequel bait and mandatory hollywood romance respectively. You could have taken out anything to do with Moriarty and the story would still have been the same. Also the mystery could have been strengthened by not revealing the villain until later in the movie as the villain reveals his plan to the audience long before Sherlock figures it out. However the mystery does well to give you all the evidence to figure out the main twist which is a sign of a good mystery. Despite some flaws, Sherlock Holmes is a solid movie. The mystery is smart, the character's relationships are interesting, and the actions is great despite the final sequence being a little over the top. I give the film a 7/10.