Sherlock Holmes

I didn't have a firm view on how Sherlock Holmes should be portrayed, though I'd always thought he's fairly dignified and reserved.

Clearly, Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes is neither. But that's not really a bad thing.

Holmes and his 'partner' Dr Watson (Jude Law) are out to stop the mysterious and seemingly powerful Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) from overtaking England.

That's your basic plot.

As far as I was concerned the plot was fairly patchy and the pacing not always consistent. But on the other hand the characters were pretty well defined and performed, particularly Jude Law's turn as Watson.

His interaction with Holmes is always interesting and, apparently, true to the traditional dynamics of the two whose relationship is complicated on screen. At times they bicker like an old couple.

Complicating matters is the presence of Holmes' old flame Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams).

There's a fair bit of action and that's something I really didn't anticipate a Sherlock Holmes movie having (until I first saw the preview of course). But again it's not out of context.

What the film's purpose is, really, is to set up for a sequel and it did that marvellously. We even know who the next villain is going to be.

It's enjoyable and while director Guy Ritchie could have done better with the flow of the film the end product is still satisfying.

That said, I give it an 8/10. However, I feel this is a 9 gone begging.