The Blogtastic Blogfest That Is Getmeoutofthis.net!

Sherlock Holmes is a pretty awesome movie. If you’ve seen the trailer, just know it pretty well delivers on exactly what it is advertising: You get a fun, action-filled ride that is humorous at places, and just plain awesome in places.

One could think that, with something called Sherlock Holmes, you might get a mystery movie, or a movie that’s, perhaps, a little more mental in its excitement. Something slower paced, where you’re always left guessing. This isn’t what this movie is at all. It is, perhaps, a superhero movie: an exciting, action-filled film that doesn’t really slow down, and is incredibly entertaining for it.

Robert Downey Jr. is completely excellent in the role of Holmes. He’s part asshole, part genius, and part high for the entire film, and it’s a pleasure to see it happen. I especially like how they break down his skill in combat, through showing him planning exactly what’s going to happen before it happens. That cements him as mental genius being his main skill, but still helps to explain why he can kick so much ass. It’s a really great choice, and it’s a nice variation on the now-tired bullet time, as the action sequences happen in slow-mo while he’s planning them, then are executed at full speed.

Watson, too, is played quite well by Jude Law. You’ve got this real chemistry between the two characters, which is almost a romance, but not quite. It’s obvious they’re very dedicated to each other, and Watson getting a woman is getting in the way of that, which Holmes doesn’t like. There’s just a lot of realistic tension between them. If I were some sort of horrible fanfic writer, I may interpret it as sexual tension. But it isn’t. It’s just two friends, sticking to what they believe in, and realizing it’s different from what the other thinks, and trying to get their point across without flat-out attacking the other. Watson is also, equally, a badass, which is wonderful to see after, you know, so many portrayals of him.

The supernatural plotline is a good choice, I think. I don’t necessarily connect Holmes with such things, and thus the whole way through, seeing a tale of Black Magic was quite surprising and engaging. Since this was so different from that stereotypical idea of Holmes (although Brer insists over and over again that it’s actually more accurate to the books) I kept wondering if they were actually going to have magic in this world. It didn’t seem out of place. In the end, though, they wrap up all the magical loose ends with scientific explanations fairly well, for the most part. It certainly did a better job of it than, say, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, which I appreciated.

Overall, though, I thought this to be a quite great movie. I had a really fun time watching it, and it seemed to be, at least, mostly parental-approved as well, as they went and watched with me and Jonathan without issue. I recommend a viewing, if not in theaters, then on DVD. Also, I would expect to see a sequel, soon. It kind of railroaded in a cliffhanger story arc for that purpose. Granted, I didn’t feel it was TOO out of place, just some scenes, and I’m all about them making another. Just, you know, it was awkward at times. Not a dealbreaker, though. The movie was great.