Beginning this year of films, films and more films is the 2009 adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. If there's one thing that I don't like about this film, it's that it tries to call itself Sherlock Holmes. Other than that it's a fun blockbuster mystery romp with quite a strong lead cast delivering good performances. Robert Downey Jr seemed to play very much a victorian era Tony Stark, which as fun a performance it may be was not Sherlock Holmes. He was much too flirtatious and his humour was far too slapstick. Mark Strong (the man who seemed to be on a mission to be in every film of 2011) meanwhile delivered a menacing character as Lord Blackwood, a man of magic and cults. This leads me onto my other problem, the main plot idea was all over the place. The film couldn't seem to set it's mind on whether it wanted to be logical or all occult nonsense which grew really very tiresome very fast. Now, I want to keep these reviews pretty short and sharp so I'll sum this up now. If you're looking for a fun romp through ye olden days with a likable cast and some impressive visuals, sit down in front of this and enjoy yourself! If you're looking for a good modern day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, please turn to the far superior BBC Series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
5/10
