You know my methods...

Date night last night, and since we have both finished our Christmas Shopping(well, not totally...still need to finish stocking stuffers...hey, lying doesn't hurt if we lie to ourselves), my wife and I went to go see the new Sherlock Holmes movie.
First off, this was about the most crowded movie theater I have sat in for a long, long time.  I'm sure a big part of that is that my wife and I will usually go out of our way to avoid attending a movie the weekend it opens.  Full theaters usually mean noisy theaters...and I can't STAND that.  This time though, it was a pretty mature audience...I was pleased with the crowd..very well behaved.

I was also pleased with the movie...it was a rollicking good time, very comparable to the first Sherlock Holmes movie(well, the first with Robert Downey Jr.).  If you didn't see the first, you don't NEED to see it to enjoy this one(although you will be a little left out of his relationship with Irene Adler(played by a 'Gosh, isn't she pretty' Rachel McAdams)).   If you liked the first, you will like this one.  If you didn't like the first one...I'm not sure what's wrong with you.

Oh...I can see you not enjoying this movie if you don't like Downey's portrayal of Holmes.  He's not at all the staid, 'deer-stalker' cap and magnifying glass carrying Holmes that most of us grew up seeing in other portrayals.  He's younger and much more active than I remember Holmes from the stories, although, it's not a total departure.  In the short stories, Holmes was a big fan of disguises, and a formidable fighter, so it's not like Downey's take on the character is totally out to lunch. 

I like his way of playing Holmes, and there is a definite chemistry between him and Jude Law's Dr. Watson.  They seem to be mightely enjoying themselves even as they jump into the gravest of danger.

I wasn't blown away by the female lead, Noomi Rapace.  I mean, she did a good job as a gypsy princess, but...I can't picture her carrying the 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' series(and she's not Rachel McAdams).  Almost makes me want to see those movies to see how different of a character she can be.

The plot is...well, it's a mystery/Adventure.  There aren't long periods of Holmes sitting around trying to work out what's going on...he must do a lot of his thinking on the run. 

Very Styalized, very fast paced, and if not quite very, then at least really good.  I give it 8.75 out of 10.