Robert Downey Jr. brings the legendary detective to life as he has never been portrayed before. Jude Law stars as Holmes' trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly will play Watson's love interest, Mary.

When I was a kid my grandmother had a very old collection of Sherlock Holmes books that she would read to us I remember those stories more than I remember the dozens of times Sherlock Holmes has graced the silver screen. Sherlock Holmes is the character that has appeared in more movies than any other character ever and that includes the likes of heroes like James Bond. There is a reason for this fascination with the sleuth and detective from the Victorian age and that is his keen wit and deductive powers where he is almost a super hero and his power is his mind and his brain. This is a fascinating and interesting aspect that just draws you the character and makes you want to see more and it was good to see the character once more grace the big screen in an epic movie befitting his status in pop culture. I am glad the movie was good enough to do Sherlock Holmes justice and it was a movie that drew you in and kept you enraptured throughout.

Being somewhat familiar with the books from my younger years the movie actually follows the books a lot closer than the casual viewer might realize. Gone is Holmes drug addiction that he had in the stories but still there is the fanatic and quirky detective that while his greatest power is his mind he is still a character that is greatly flawed and full of idiosyncrasies. Guy Ritchie brings this to life mixing in action, the supernatural, Holmes appeal as a character and a good detective story rolled into a movie that entertains you and keeps you glued to your seat throughout. I doubt modern audiences would have swallowed a more straight forward detective story like the Holmes movies of the 40’s and Ritchie realizes this making the movie entertaining, fun and still all the while staying true to the books and the Sherlock Holmes lore.

Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect actor for Holmes as he pulls of that wit and smarts that so epitomizes Holmes all the while being able to add the action and adventure to the movie as a physical actor as well. With just the right touch of deduction and at the end with Holmes unraveling all the mysteries that had seemed so supernatural up until that point the movie ends up being the perfect Sherlock Holmes deduction. I have to admit at one point I was getting a little depressed that the movie might be all supernatural but the end delivered for me everything I would want from a Holmes film as Guy Ritchie just kept the secrets close to his chest before revealing them in the final act.

Jude Law was an interesting choice for Doctor Watson because up until this point Watson had been portrayed as a portly, kind of bumbling sidekick and Jude Law is none of that in the modern incantation of the very old story. I actually ended up liking a Watson that could keep up with a Holmes and was more than just a sidekick and foyle. I was a little disappointed to not see Professor Moriarty in the film as he is only a shadow behind the scenes for te most part but they did leave his character as a good lead-in to any sequels the series might garner. I really enjoyed the modern spin on a very old character and here is hoping for more tales of the good Detective and his ever loyal partner in crime the good Doctor Watson.

Grade: B+