That's disappointing - I had high hopes for this movie.

I knew the minute I saw the previews that this was not going to be my cup of tea.
It appears theat american movies can only appeal to to those age 8 through whatever age you are when you fail to get a GED.

What, no link to MY review? I have been looking for a good nemesis - maybe the Baltimore Sun will have to suffice. Of course, you guys are hardly my Moriarty.

You guys sometimes are just to tied up in your own bad selves to enjoy a decent movie. Robert Downey Jr did a great job and it was a fun, funny, good, cerebral movie. Stop your twelve letter word blathering, get some popcorn and enjoy the show. Gee whiz.

Sherlock Holmes was unbelievable but there is a series of books called “MEG” which would make one hell of a movie. It could be a giant blockbuster if done correctly. Curious if anyone’s has checked out the new book “HELLS AQUARIUM” by STEVE ALTEN? I know he’s been a best selling author before, but wanted to see if anyone had read this book first? It’s about the ancient prehistoric shark Megalodon, which makes the current Great White Shark look like a gold fish. Check out the trailer below, pretty awesome:

http://www.variancepublishing.com/meg-hells-aquarium-contest.html

Well I suppose film critics would be out of work if they only gushed about movies. You can't really pretend to be literati if you say nice things about the things that appeal to the hoi polloi. And it's an easy target when you give big-budget action thriller treatment to anything literary -- look what the philistines have done now!

But true Baker Street Irregulars will enjoy this romp immensely. It's actually true to the Canon in many ways: as examples, Holmes really was a terrific boxer; he really was wonderfully quirky; and he really did only love Irene Adler because she always outwitted him. While we are used to seeing a much more cerebral and perhaps anemic Holmes on the screen, the vigor that Downey brings to his character is not at all inappropriate or unfaithful to the text.

Indeed, Downey's handling of the Great Detective is an inspired departure from earlier screen interpretations. His portrayal of Holmes's downtime despondency is brilliant. And may come from personal experience. His marvellous insouciance before the great and the powerful are exactly true to Conan Doyle's work. His periodic put-downs of Lestrade are a delight.

Perhaps the most refreshing part of this film is its treatment of Watson: in addition to putting excellent emphasis on his military pedigree, Jude Law more importantly shows nothing of the bumbling sidekick that has always bothered Sherlockians about almost every other film or TV adaptation of Watson.

True aficionados of Sherlock Holmes, still grieving over the death of Jeremy Brett, will cheer when they read of the renewed interest in the stories this new film creates, and never begrudge publishers a penny of their profit, nor yet Guy Ritchie and the producers of this rollicking fun movie. So put down your New Yorkers, go see the film, and then pick up an anthology of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You'll be glad you did!

Sure, RDJ doesn't fit the physical description of the Baker Street detective, but he pretty much nails the laconic wit, dry humor, and manic-depressive energy of the original. Ratcheting up the violence did not feel nearly as out of place as I expected it to: it is there as subtext in Doyle's original stories and was far more visually tied to the period than the piecemeal trailer led me to believe. Besides, I would have kept watching just for the chemistry between Watson and Holmes - one of the best screen romances I've seen in a while. If you are interested, I blog my own review at http://themothchase.wordpress.com
--Kathryn

I just back from watching with my girlfriend and a couple of friends we all really enjoyed it. I found it a really refreshing to the genre, it's been awhile since a not so serious but fun period action/adventure film was made. Now I'm not claiming to be a well read sherlock genius But I really think that Guy balanced a great mix of sherlockism and a christmas movie entrainment. I mean what else did people expect? I don't think you can ever successfully recreated a fictional book into a film, the source material is just too subjective. Who cares that there wasn't explosions and swords fights on top of bridges in the book(s), it's stuff like this that makes a great popcorn film.

I thought it was great fun. I didn't take it seriously. It was a delightful romp through a wonderfully created Old England. Robert Downey was perfect and Jude Law showed a fun side that I haven't seen before. It was the first time he actually was appealing to me. See it for the fun of it.

Nothing like total destruction by the Americans. They come to England, buy our great works of art such as Sherlock Holmes, and turn it into pure trash in America. But hey, cheers to America..they have all the cash and all the trash....

cheers! from London

Perhaps the most refreshing part of this film is its treatment of Watson: in addition to putting excellent emphasis on his military pedigree, Jude Law more importantly shows nothing of the bumbling sidekick that has always bothered "Sherlockians" about almost every other film or TV adaptation of Watson.