Dem Reviews: Sherlock Holmes

Me: “Does your depravity know no bounds?”
Guy Ritchie: “No.”

Sherlock Holmes is a mediocre flick. I think the worst part is that the marketing campaign made it out to look like an action movie. That is what initially turned me off. We’re all at least somewhat familiar with the literary figure Sherlock Holmes, and this movie isn’t him. So I was rather surprised when there were only one or two big action scenes in the entire flick. Holmes did break out his ninja skills, but not very often. The rest of the film was rather slow and uninteresting.

The dynamic duo of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law was an interesting one. Their back and forth banter was amusing for sure, and provided a few good chuckles. They were at least fun to watch, even if they didn’t seem to fit their characters. But that’s about where the fun ended. The plot was rather dull, the bad guy rather unoriginal. The female characters were there, but weren’t given much to do or accomplish (besides potentially setting up a sequel). There were no real “clues” for Holmes to find, and when he did solve the “mystery” in the end, it seemed rather contrived and out-of-the-blue (or more like out of The Da Vinci Code). Even the expansive, period London locales and set pieces had me sighing.

I’d say save your money this holiday weekend, or at least be mentally prepared for what’s not really a thinking picture or an action flick. It’s just kinda… there …for 128 minutes. Sherlock Holmes opens Christmas Day in theaters across Fresno.