Now on DVD: Sherlock Holmes

Steve Helmer
Steve Helmer, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jun 1, 2010 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."
I have had a copy of the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes for about a month now. We got it through Netflix shortly after it came available but just never took the time to actually watch it. Part of the reason for that is I'm a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes stories and I expected this movie to be a disappointment.

My wife and I finally got around to watching the movie yesterday (while the washing machine and dishwasher were going). While it wasn't the best Sherlock Holmes film I have ever seen, it did prove to be better than I thought.

Robert Downey Jr. played the title character in this movie and Jude Law portrayed Dr. Watson. Their portrayals of the two main characters strayed from more traditional movies and I had mixed feelings about this. I did like the fact there was a bit more action in this movie and Holmes and Watson were often in the middle of it. But, at the same time, Holmes and Watson seemed to be a bit crude and it was really hard to take either of them seriously; especially since Downey Jr. has a tendency to rush and mumble through some of his lines.

I did, however, like Rachel McAdams' Irene Adler. The movie managed to bring Holmes' love interest/nemesis to life and created a character that was both beautiful and mysterious. At the end of the movie, I still didn't know whose side she was on.

The plot itself actually turned out to be better than I expected. At first, a case involving the resurrection of the dead, black magic and secret societies seemed a bit too much like something you would see in Indiana Jones or Harry Potter. But, the way Holmes waits until the very end to reveal hidden clues was very much like a traditional Sherlock Holmes story.

Final opinion: If you love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, you will find some things about this movie that you don't like. But, if make the effort to watch this movie without comparing it to the literary character, it is actually a halfway decent action movie.

Average Netflix Grade: 3.7 stars out of a possible 5.

My Grade: 3 stars.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.

Published by Steve Helmer

Steve is a married father of two who has lived in Wisconsin most of his life. Even though he comes from a long line of military veterans, he chose not to follow that path and instead earned a Bachelor's degr...  View profile

To comment, please sign in to your Yahoo! account, or sign up for a new account.