Super Frat

Readers of my previous movie reviews know I have a soft spot for Guy Ritchie.  Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch are two of my favorite movies.   Sherlock Holmes purists are probably not going to be happy with the action-movie touch of Holmes, but it sure made me happy.

Ritchie’s penchant for flashbacks, narration and variable movie speeds is, in a way, perfect for Holmes and today’s audiences’ attention spans.  (Myself included.)  The Rachel McAdams as a love interest character didn’t thrill me, but Ritchie still made it fun and it didn’t take away from the characterization of Holmes.

I’m happy to say that Ritchie didn’t bother with a lot of set up.  I mean, that’s like when they spend 20 minutes explaining who Superman and Spiderman are.  We know who they are.  The characters have been around forever.

The movie hits the ground running, sort of like a James Bond movie.  It begins with the ending of Holmes’ previous case, dovetails into Holmes and Watson having a more volatile relationship and then right back into a case.  It’s a little breathless to be sure, but you can’t help but enjoy the banter between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.  They argue like a married couple.  Plus, the scenery of old London is amazing.  It’s just background, but great background.  It doesn’t dwell on it, like the Road.

Downey, as always, is just amazing to watch.  He’s incredibly expressive and his take on the character as a wild man intellectual is just too damned fun.  The villains are also pretty memorable and the movie ends with a set up for the sequel.  I’m definitely down for seeing at least two more of these with the same cast and director.  It’s a lot of fun, well paced.  Listen carefully because some of the dialogue may escape you.  (I find some English accents hard to understand.)  You may find it has one too many explosions and some technology that’s a little out of reach of the era, but I still enjoyed it.

I give Sherlock Holmes 9 keggers out of 10.  Guy Ritchie is back, bros.