sherlock holmes

we went to see sherlock holmes the other night, and it's a very good movie. it's got suspense and mystery and intrigue with a dash of science and large helpings of both humor and adventure.

jude law is really superb as watson. he's not the bumbling sort of watson you might have imagined from the books. at least, that's the sort of watson i always imagined - a rather dumpy, middle-aged, dim-witted yet stalwart companion to the more-dashing, smarter holmes. but law's watson is young, attractive, and while no less stalwart than i'd expect, he's a great deal smarter, shrewder if you will, and exudes patience as he manages holmes. he is a bit of a caretaker - getting holmes up out of drunken stupors and pointing him in the right direction.

i adore robert downey jr and am always happy to see him out of rehab and on the big screen, and overall i enjoyed his performance. heaven knows, he can carry off the addicted, womanizing, scheming holmes to a tee - but his interpretation of an british accent seems to be mostly contrived of mumbling & slurring his words. the subtle verbal interplay between holmes & watson was at times lost in downey's mealy-mouthed approach to the accent.

the young ladies - mary, watson's fiancee, played by kelly reilly - and rachel mcadams as irene adler -- are both superb. mary's patient indulgence of holmes's eccentricities matches that of her man watson, and it's clear she gets it - she understands that these two men are lifelong friends, and she's amused by them. irene is clearly in love with holmes, as he is with her, and these two make the merry dance of adolescent avoidance believable.

these main characters and the supporting ones - inspector lestrade, mrs hudson, lord blackwood - all the characters are very well acted. the plot is intriguing. the pacing is excellent. the costumes are lovely and while of the period are also vaguely contemporary - very well done. the special effects are extraordinary - especially the scenes on the docks and on the under-contruction london bridge.

bottom line? two thumbs up!