I went in to see this film with high expectations. I love Robert Downey Jr, especially after his successes in Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. Jude Law also phenomenal, and I looked forward to his performance as Dr. Watson after seeing him as Hamlet. The previews themselves looked great and, although not to be trusted as with the case of 2012, did not let me down.
I'm not going to go too in depth into the plot of this movie because the entire thing would just turn into one giant spoiler. In fact, I'm going to keep this review fairly short.
The first thing that captured me was the dialogue. Not only does it have extreme speakability, it's incredibly authentic. There are no cliches, just purely natural yet delectable. And that's honestly the only word that can adequately describe RDJr's speech in this movie. There is so much quirkiness to it, like listening to an eccentric genius talk. If you're familiar with the anime series "Death Note", you'll know what I mean when I say that parallels can be drawn between this Sherlock Holmes and L. For those of you not familiar, this might give you a basic idea. While we're on the subject, I came across this great video by someone who evidently shares my opinion.
If you're familiar with the Conan Doyle novels, you may be able to pick out some lines in the film that allude to the original works. One of my favorite lines from the film ("Data, data, data, I cannot make bricks without clay.") is taken from "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches".
The score is also definitely worth mentioning. The main instruments used (or at least the ones that stuck out the most to me) is the honky-tonk piano and the cimbalom, the combination of which set the mood for the setting of the film: London, 1891, during the Industrial Revolution. The score makes use of broken down, out of tune, and sharp, clangy instruments which creates a harsh, industrial feeling. Also, the mostly minor key of the music reflects the dreariness of the soot-stained, foggy atmosphere of Victorian London.
The visuals are incredible. I can't even go into that much because no description I give will do it justice. All I'm going to say is that the famous Tower Bridge makes an appearance in it's unfinished state. In fact, the climactic scene takes place on top of it. The costumes are also very well done, especially Holmes's outfits. He appears in a drastically different costume in every scene, which adds to the quirkiness of his character. When I pictured Holmes, I would picture him wearing those brown woolen hunting clothes and his trademark cloak and hat. Nowhere in the film do those make an appearance and definitely not to any detriment.
Finally, the acting. What can I say? Although Jude Law is great, RDJr. establishes himself as the dominant lead throughout the film. Jude Law is English and RDJr. is an American putting on an accent, but by his mastery of the speech one would think that it was the other way around. The intensity in Downey Jr.'s eyes convey Holmes's constant thinking, analyzing, and processing. When he comes across a piece of evidence he is very methodical, you can tell he's doe this all before, he knows exactly what he's doing. Still, beneath the professional, experienced exterior, there remains that eccentric, troubled mind. A great scene is when Holmes is sitting in a room by himself, staring straight ahead while he plucks out various note on a violin. He gets increasingly intense until he suddenly stops and throws the violin on the floor and goes face-palm, all in one fluid motion. RDJr. gives a remarkable performance that, as hard as they try and as close as they come, no other actor in the film and quite match.
Sherlock Holmes was a great movie. It has top-notch acting, spectacular visuals, and a solid story to boot. Plus, it has a greatly satisfying ending with no loose end left untied. It keeps you fully involved from start to finish and I'd definitely recommend seeing it, even if you're not a fan of or have never read the Conan Doyle novels.
Grade: A
