Review of Sherlock Holmes

I’ve never been a moviegoer who minded peculiarity in films, yet I do sometimes question why some filmmakers insist on making a movie idiosyncratic when an uncomplicated plot is suitable. This is the problem I have with many of Guy Richie’s films, which I typically characterize as “all over the place.” Often Richie's cinematography is much like the stories within his films, unsystematic and at times just plain bizarre. Unfortunately his latest film, Sherlock Holmes, suffers from these same detrimental characteristics. The film follows Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) as they attempt to stop a cult leader named Blackwood from taking over the world. Though it appears as if Blackwood has supernatural abilities, Holmes slowly begins to uncover Blackwood’s methods. Many times you cannot help but smile at Holmes superior logic in order to figure things out, yet there are simply to many aspects thrown towards the audience to develop any interest in the complete story at hand. In short, I was a bit overwhelmed by the plot of Sherlock Holmes. Undeniably there are moments in this film that are crafted adeptly, such as the moments when Holmes analyzes how he would be most successful at approaching brawls. However, overall the film unnecessarily bewilders the viewer by presenting too many plot devices, too many pointless characters, and humor that simply isn’t funny. The only real reason to see this film is Robert Downy Jr., whose version of Sherlock Holmes is of course a genius, yet clumsy enough so that he doesn’t appear arrogant. Though it isn’t necessarily a bad film, it is very forgettable. At this point in the movie season there are many better films that have recently been released (Avatar, Up in the Air, The Blind Side)

RATING: 2.9/5