Writer/director Guy Ritchie’s high-octane, revisionist version of Sherlock Holmes has definitely proven itself successful. It raked in close to $470 million while the never-ending money monster Avatar was still devouring box offices at its peak, and it has already helped inspire studios to greenlight sexy, more action-oriented versions of other classics such as Treasure Island and The Three Musketeers. No wonder, then, that sequel expectations are building pretty rapidly.

Jude Law, the new Holmes‘s incarnation of loyal, ever-present sidekick Dr. Watson, is currently on the road promoting Repo Men, but he still dropped some hints regarding the continuation of the lucrative new franchise to CinemaBlend:

“We started throwing out ideas of where it could go and what should happen next. Mine of course involved Sherlock Holmes being locked in a box and Dr. Watson…” He then pumped up his arms into a heroic stance and got a big laugh from the assembled press.

The closest he came to admitting there was a sequel was saying, “I don’t know for sure, but I think we are probably doing another one. I think it’s sometime this year.” When discussing other projects, he said he was considering doing a play in London either this summer or early next year, and also mentioned shooting for ten days on Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion at the end of this year.

Do you want to see a sequel to Ritchie’s Holmes? Where should they take the story? Who else wants to see Holmes and Watson trapped in a box?

The best surprise behind Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes is its ultimate faithfulness to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s titular detective.

While the new film is certainly more action oriented than previous iterations–there’s very little of Basil Rathbone’s tweedy Victorian here– it gets the intellectual and physical energy of Holmes right. Despite a few out-of-place cgi sequences and an over-eager mystery plot, the movie works as the kind of pulpy adventures Doyle made famous.

Downey’s Holmes is brasher, more cock-sure and physically imposing than his cinematic predecessors but his interpretation is in many ways more accurate to the Bakerstreet detective. Holmes boxing and using a martial arts prowess to defeat adversaries is not an extreme departure but a return to details that Doyle himself included as part of Sherlock’s make-up. He was trained in both street-fighting and various mixed martial-arts as was popular in the London of his time. In the film, this fact is used as an excuse to provide us with sequences where a buff Downey participates in grueling and exciting battles. It would be easy to dismiss them as a cheap decision to make a more mainstream popcorn film, but in truth they add a spice that the script doesn’t provide.

The mystery and the deduction associated with Holmes is on display for sure, but the screenplay hammers the details together with just a little too much modern flourish. The villain–Lord Blackwood(Mark Strong)–is a rather generic blackhat who has a sinister plan of epic scale that he wishes to rain down upon London at large. He suits the picture fine, but there’s no real reason why he needs to exist on such a grand, ‘James Bond’ style scale. Even Holmes favorite nemesis, Moriarity, was a master criminal with a sense of modest goals and means. Blackwood’s ultimate plan veers away from the personal drawing-room cases that Holmes excelled at and moves towards a kind of ‘world hangs in the balance’ verve that just doesn’t fit the tone.

There are also just one too many action scenes and towards the end Ritchie is trying to drive the story home with pure spectacle when we would just as soon follow the characters through a few more twists and turns and brilliant detective work.

What is working for the film, and what makes it such a joy to watch, is the strength of the casting and the chemistry that Downey and Law have as Holmes and Watson. They exist originally as a slightly antiquated buddy comedy team until the real story gets underway .Then,  Holmes fastidious, addictive nature starts to take over and Watson must step in and ground him, adding the stabilizing influence that the genius requires to bring the case home.

The riffing Downey does in the second half of the script, making the detective a steely-eyed wild card, adds much to the film’s humorous and playful tone. This tone isn’t out of place in Holmes and Law’s Watson strikes the right notes as a man who isn’t so much second fiddle, but rather the only fiddle capable of allowing Holme’s violin to play as it needs to. Jude has been doing great work in film for decades but his special gift here is knowing when to reign Downey the actor in and when to do the same for Holmes the character via Watson’s fussy, organized doctor. This pair could have driven the film even in the face of a weak supporting cast.

Instead, Ritchie populates the movie with several faces that will be recognizable to those who have read Sherlock’s original adventures. Among them, Rachel McAdams gets the most screentime as Irene Adler, who has the special distinction of being the only character to ever fully outwit Holmes, and the movie adds, win his heart. McAdams is just fine but she’s not quite got the right fire in her eyes or poise to come off as an equal for Downey. The character may have literary precedent but this iteration isn’t doing much aside from existing as one of the two females strategically placed to divert audience attention from the overly gay habits that Ritchie lays on Holmes and Watson. Ultimately, it’s supposed to be played like snarky married-couple grousing but a few times it just doesn’t work  and there is little subtlety applied in the more pointed jokes.

Sherlock Holmes may not make many fans who already adore the book version of the great detective, but as a holiday adventure and a new take on a classic, it’s more than worthy. If you are in the mood for a pulpy mystery, the choice is elementary. Holmes is a case worth taking.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Guy Ritchie’s latest cinematic romp comes in the form of one of the most loved and suave British mystery solvers in fiction, Sherlock Holmes. Jumping onto the big screen Christmas Day, Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England. Here are two brand new individual posters for the upcoming mystery action adventure flick.

What seems to suddenly be upcoming movie set pics day is continued on with yet another Robert Downey Jr. movie (which is fine, the man is talented), Sherlock Holmes. Directed by Guy Ritchie, better known for such films as Snatch and RocknRolla, the latest adventure that also stars Jude Law, Mark Strong and Rachel McAdams. Detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and his stalwart partner Watson (Jude Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.

Do not worry though, because the famed detective will be swooping his way into theaters on Christmas day of this year. Tired of reading this and just want to see more pics of Downey Jr among others? Then just click below and check them out for yourself.

Hopefully if you are a return reader, you have noticed the unbelievable header Kirstin has made for us. She is a great graphics designed and really an all around awesome person. More to come on that announcement shortly.

As for the Monday Morning Link Love:

Here it is…

It seems that Kevin Smith has again seen a movie before anyone else. Lucky little bastard sort of reviews “Star Trek” for us. “Star Trek” is due out May 8th 2009 and I will be there to see what this early hype is all about.

The opening scene from Guy Ritchie’s “RockNRolla” is on the web. This looks like its going to kick some serious ass. Can’t wait to see it!

Shia LeBeouf’s drunken mishap a few weeks ago, seems to of made it into the script of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Personally I think its crap to do this but I guess you have to do what you have to do when you are cool as Michael Bay is.

For all of you “Smallville” fanboys – it seems that Clark Kent will actually fly this season! About damn time “Superman” learns how to fly.

Seems like Enik from “The Land of the Lost” is making an appearance next to Will Farrell. I hope Farrell doesn’t screw this one up. Check out the photos at the link.

There is always more on the net than posted here. I just like to highlight what I find to be “news”

See you fine folks soon.