Sherlock Holmes (2009)

I'm indifferent towards the Sherlock Holmes books. I've only read the bare minimum (i.e. The Hound of the Baskervilles, A Study in Scarlet, and a couple of others I can't remember). They're very good - mysterious and all that, but I'm not totally googly-eyed over them like I am over Pirates.
The Sherlock Holmes TV series, that scared me, actually. Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes struck me as insane. Now, I'm usually okay with insane, 'cause me and my family are pretty much the reason such a word exists. But, see, I always thought of Sherlock as a bit antisocial and eccentric, but definitely NOT insane. Nevertheless, Jeremy Brett opened my mind, and even though I was a tad disturbed, his performance struck a chord, and I found myself cheering him on.
So, when I heard there was to be a movie adaptation of the world's most famous detective, with Robert Downey, Jr. playing the titular role and Jude Law as his loyal friend Watson, I was simultaneously intrigued, wary, and excited.
I didn't get to see it in the cinemas, but I made up for that by watching it in Blu-Ray. And, I thought it was awesome.
Downey deserves his Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sherlock. Anti-social at times, check. Eccentric, double check. But I didn't see the insanity that I saw in the Jeremy Brett portrayal. This Sherlock is down-to-earth, able to defend himself in a fight (indeed, he likes to pick a few of his own!), and downright charming when the mood takes him. I liked the constant referencing and quoting of the books, and even though Downey's Holmes is a bit more action hero than detective, credit must go to Guy Ritchie for explaining this Holmes' fighting proficiency by working in little slo-mo scenes showing how Holmes' superhuman deductive skills and powers of observation allow him to best anyone fighting him. I also appreciated the slight reference to cocaine in the movie, as seen in the books, but absent from the TV series.
And Watson! Jude Law really breathed new life into the character, as previous actors made him look like a bumbling idiot. Hello? Watson is a DOCTOR. He's served in the Afghan war and lived to tell the tale. This man possesses significant intelligence of his own; perhaps he isn't brilliant in the same way as Holmes, but Watson is ten times more street-smart and sociable.
However, what's better that either Holmes or Watson in this movie is actually the depth of the relationship portrayed between them. Watson and Holmes have a love-hate relationship, a bromance: Holmes, at every turn, tries to keep Watson from marrying Mary, so that they may continue solving cases together; and Watson cannot help but be sucked into the cases that Holmes is investigating, despite his efforts to the contrary.
Mark Strong, as always, is a dab hand at playing the villain (in this case, Lord Blackwood) and genuinely freaked me out in some parts (i.e. when he was in jail).
I cannot conclude this post without mentioning the awesome score composed by Hans Zimmer for this movie. It evokes, in its entirety, the complicated, convoluted mind of Sherlock Holmes. (It also reminds me of Jack Sparrow, for some reason.)
Can't wait for the second! (coming December 16th, 2011!)