Sherlock Holmes

Just returned from this much hyped and long awaited treat. I counted the days until the release but then had plans change several times and couldn't get to the theater to see it! Months ago when I saw the first trailer for this I laughed out loud with a big DOH - what a GREAT franchise Robert Downey Jr has landed on! There are Sherlock Holmes scripts galore and if they can pull off one or two that make money he can grow old in this role! Just genius on the part of marketing, and long overdue.

I'm a Robert Downey Jr. fan - stated as such and thrilled to own my own copy of Ironman. That said.... I didn't like this movie. I wanted to like, was sure I would like it, was so happy to be finally seeing it, and didn't like it.

What went wrong? The whole personna of Sherlock Holmes seemed gone. In his place we have this clearly Asperger, Manic Depressive, super hero, drug addict, rock star type rebel. It was Monk meets Batman with some sprinklings of Johnny Depp's pirate.

The movie is a bit difficult to understand because of muttered language and gray, dreary scenes - I found myself straining to figure out what was going on many times. There are many nicely worded gems and clever lines in the dialogue, but it's like a mining expedition to dig those out.

Judd Law plays Watson and did a decent job - he seemed very Watson-like. Rachel McAdams is the sort of love interest/lady criminal character who I think could have been played by nearly anyone. She said her lines and did her thing but the character could have been so much more.

I guess if this is the New Face of Sherlock Holmes, the franchise may be in trouble. It still has lots of flash and is star studded enough that the next few installments will be well received. They all but typed out "To Be Continued" on the screen in the final scene. This movie carries right into the next chapter. It started out in the middle or toward the end of the previous chapter, and ends already into the next. That leaves perfect openings on both ends for the sequels and the prequels. I don't think I'll be as anxious to see the next.

Ironman 2 is on the way, and the unbelievable 'Wolfman' starring Benicio del Toro! That one is a must see - for sure. I still can't believe he made that movie so I have to see for myself.

Pueblo Tinseltown was the place. Popcorn was hot and fresh and excellent!

This one gets a '2' from us. With a heavy heart.