Sherlock Holmes

Release Year: 2009

Director: Guy Ritchie

Review:  A somewhat more faithful take on the Holmes character.  The film plays out much like one would expect from a Holmes story.  A whole lot of mystery that gradually gets weeded down and revealed by Holmes in the final act.  The actual mystery itself is fair enough, what really matters is how it is told.  This is ultimately where things fall apart.  We know going in what to expect out of the movie, so just having a twist at the end doesn't save a weak narrative.

There were plenty of visually stunning sequences and action packed moments.  Guy Ritchie's highly stylized approach work well in a few scenes, and definitely were the highlight of the movie.  The problem is the movie really wasn't that entertaining moment to moment.  Robert Downey Jr. was difficult to understand with his accent and seemed to be mumbling over lines.  The dialog was not as witty as it is intended to be, and most of the humor falls through completely.  The length of the movie did not help its cause, and I wanted it to wrap itself up well shy of the third act.  I liked the direction it was going for, but it just didn't pop like I wanted it to.
Rating: 2.5/5