Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes Starring Robert Downey Jr

Starting what I hope will be a Christmas tradition, I led my family to a local movie theater in Avon Park, Florida, on Christmas evening to see the Guy Ritchie directed movie Sherlock Holmes. In tow were my six children, one son-in-law, and my mother - a Holmes aficionado.

While the plot is the standard "take-over-the-world" evil genius gets his come upends, we still found the film mildly engaging and both visually and audibly suitable for our 10 - 76 year-old age group.

Robert Downey, Jr., as Holmes, provided an interesting new spin to the character. This re-imaging has our famous sleuth living a bit unkempt in a less than tidy apartment at 221B Baker Street after putting away Lord Blackwood. His appearance was one of many discrepancies with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Holmes with which my mother found issue.

With Blackwood sentenced to death, Watson is quick to recognize that his friend needs another engaging case to occupy his mind and time. Blackwood is happy to provide him with one. He does so by asking for a meeting with Holmes as his "final request" before execution.

While Downey's version may not often align with Doyle's, he does give a commendable performance as both a bare knuckles boxer and a venerable detective who has a decent relationship with the local police force - despite the fact that he often outwits them during their simultaneous investigations.

The supporting cast is equally accomplished in their roles:

Englishman Mark Strong (who also appeared in Guy Ritchie's 2008 release, RocknRolla) as Lord Blackwood is convincingly menacing - until the end when his behavior seems a bit uncharacteristically resigned.

I loved Jude Law's embodiment of John Watson, walking a fine tightrope between loyalty to his friend and erstwhile roommate and his love for Mary. Law's Watson is intelligent and intentionally helpful, unlike the bumbling, mumbling characterization brought to life by Nigel Bruce in the Universal Pictures' series of the 1940's.

Rachel McAdams portrays Irene Adler, a thief who is the only person to have bested Holmes - twice, as Watson is quick to remind the detective.

Another Brit, Eddie Marsan, takes his turn as Inspector Lestrade. The dapper detective is competent enough and not quite so contentious with Holmes as some previous versions.

The well-known Holmes nemesis, Professor Moriarty, holds only a minor puppeteer role. We never even see his face, but the story seems to indicate that a sequel is already in the works - one in which Moriarty will figure more prominently.

My mother will be quick to tell you that Downey's version resembles nothing of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle persona that she loves. She holds Jeremy Brett's portrayal as the "definitive" Sherlock Holmes.

However, the rest of our party, who have not read any of the books, found the movie was still worth the $8.50 ticket price. With a physically buff Holmes, well-directed CGI effects, and a realistic Victorian London backdrop, my children all found Sherlock Holmes to be a highly entertaining action flick.

One of the dozens of Doyle novels will certainly now find its way into next semester's home school curriculum.