Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes‘ massive failure is especially disappointing given the multitude of positive elements with which it’s been equipped, as the movie, armed with several stand-out performances and Guy Ritchie’s expectedly kinetic directorial choices, generally seems as though it should be far more entertaining than it actually is. The film – which follows Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic creation (Robert Downey Jr) as he and partner Watson (Jude Law) attempt to stop a ruthless foe (Mark Strong’s Lord Blackwood) from executing a predictably sinister plan – moves at an interminably sluggish pace that’s exacerbated by the less-than-enthralling nature of its storyline (ie the central mystery is simply not interesting in the slightest), and there’s subsequently little doubt that Sherlock Holmes is at its best when focused on the heroes’ comedic (and often irresistibly mean-spirited) banter (with the palpable chemistry between Downey Jr and Law certainly cementing this feeling). The uniformly strong performances can only carry the proceedings so far, however, as Ritchie’s ongoing efforts at injecting Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg’s lifeless screenplay with bursts of energy fall completely flat (and this is to say nothing of the filmmaker’s reliance on grimy, downright unappealing visuals, which have presumably been designed to mask the persistent use of sets that couldn’t possibly look more like sets). It’s a shame, really, given that Downey Jr does a superb job of staying true to Doyle’s work while at the same time offering up his own take on the 122-year-old character, with the actor’s effortlessly charming turn standing as Sherlock Holmes‘ only consistently stirring attribute – thus cementing the movie’s place as a sporadically amusing yet thoroughly tedious misfire of nigh disastrous proportions.

*1/2 out of ****