Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes(2009) by Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 feature film adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's story bound character of the same name. The film was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin.

In 1891 London, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) chase to put a prevent to a human sacrifice ritual conducted by Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Holmes and Watson stop the sacrifice just in time and neutralize Lord Blackwood, after which the cop, led by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), pull in and arrest him.

Blackwood's capital punishment takes place three months later, during which Holmes has become bored without a new case. Watson prepares to leave 221B Baker Street to set up his own business, and he intends to marry Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly). Blackwood requests Holmes' presence on the day of his capital punishment, and warns him that three more deaths will occur after his execution that will transform the very nature of their world. Later, Blackwood is executed by hanging, affirmed dead by Watson himself.

Holmes is re-acquainted with Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), the only person who has managed to outfox him. She offers him an amount of cash to practice a case of a missing red-haired midget by the name of Reardon. Holmes disguises himself to find the identity of Adler's employer, but can only guess him as a professor. Three days later Blackwood's capital punishment, his vault is found devastated, from the inside out, and an eyewitness reports seeing Blackwood walking away. Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade find Blackwood's coffin contains the body of the red-haired midget. Holmes follows hints from a pocket timepiece on the body to the midget's home, where they find out several chemistry experiments. They narrowly avoid capture by three thugs that have arrived to destroy the proof in the home, but afterward are captured for property destruction. Watson is released on bail by Miss Morstan, while Holmes is taken to the Temple of the Four Orders, an occult-dabbling secret society. Their leaders disclose Blackwood was a former member, and plead for Holmes to assist hinder him. Holmes declines their generous proposal of reward but continues to inspect. As Holmes and Watson investigate, the two superior members are assasinated through clear magical means by Blackwood, and he assumes control of the order, desiring to use the Order's power to push for England to retake the United States after their civil war has weakened their defenses. Blackwood orders the house Secretary, a member of the Order, to issue a warrant for Holmes' capture.

Holmes and Watson go behind clues to an industrial slaughterhouse, where they are taunted by Blackwood and pushed to free Adler from a deathly conveyor belt trap. Watson chases after Blackwood but is captured by a tripwire, setting off an explosion; Watson is able to warn Holmes and Alder to safety but is terribly wounded himself in the blast. Holmes learns he is wanted by the cop and goes into hiding, and reflects on the clues he has collected. He understands that Blackwood is attempting to cast a spell based on the sphinx, with the three murdered tied to three of the mythical creature's animal constituents: man, ox, and eagle. Holmes deduces the fourth, the lion, is symbolized by the English Parliament. Holmes allows Lestrade to capture and bring him to the house Secretary. Brash, the Secretary reveals Blackwood's plot for wiping out all the Lords but save those loyal followers of his. Holmes escapes, diving into the river Thames, and is saved by a waiting boat with Watson and Adler in it.

Regrouping with Watson and Adler, Holmes takes them to the sewers below Parliament where they find a machine devised by the midget that is operated by a remote trigger held by Blackwood that will discharge a cyanide by-product into the Parliament chambers. The three fight off Blackwood's men and remove the cyanide cylinders from the machine. Adler grabs the cylinders and races away, followed by Holmes; Blackwood becomes aware his machine has failed and shortly follows thereafter. The three pull in at the top of the Tower Bridge, still under construction. Blackwood knocks Adler to a lower platform, where she falls unconscious. Holmes tricks Blackwood into becoming entangled in the ropes and chains, and Blackwood is soon hanging insecurely from these over the Thames while Holmes recounts that all of Blackwood's "mystical" acts were applications of science and trickery. Holmes intends for Blackwood to stand trial but, tangled in ropes, Blackwood falls and is hanged by the chains. Holmes helps Adler get well, though cuffs her. She explains that the mystifying caped man in the carriage is one Professor Moriarty. Holmes drops the key to the handcuffs in Adler's bosom and leaves her, returning to Watson. The cop pull in to report a dead officer found near Blackwood's device, and Holmes deduces that chasing Adler and fighting Blackwood was a distraction by Moriarty, who used the diversion to take a key component of Blackwood's remote control machine from the {machine|apparatus.

The movie was released in the United States on December 25, 2009, and on December 26, 2009, in the UK, Ireland, and the Pacific. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 68% of 183 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.1 out of 10. The film opened to an estimated $65,380,000 in its first weekend, placing in second at the US box office to Avatar, which grossed $75 million.