In 2009, the comeback of Robert Downey Jr. was in full effect. He had quite the rough patch for years before he got himself sober, but, after several years putting in stealthily amazing performances in films such as Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and Zodiac, Downey shot to superstar status with his defining portrayal of Tony Stark in Iron Man. This performance opened doors for him would have seemed nearly impossible a decade earlier. Armed with this box office success and an Oscar nominated turn in Tropic Thunder, RDJ made the smart play to strike while the iron was hot and jumpstart another franchise. Warner Bros. was looking to give the classic Arthur Conan Doyle character Sherlock Holmes the Batman Begins treatment, and Downey was the perfect choice to inhabit this new, rough and tumble version. Throw in the director who made such gangster classics as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and you have the seeds of a new franchise, if executed properly. With over $500 million earned worldwide and a Golden Globe win for Downey Jr., it is fair to say Sherlock Holmes was executed properly.
This version of the popular Sherlock Holmes character is already well established in the private detective business. Along with his partner John Watson (Jude Law), the duo have solved some of the most fascinating crimes in late nineteenth century London. At the onset of the film, they thwart an attempted ritualistic murder by the malicious Lord Henry Blackwood (Mark Strong), an aristocratic serial killer with links to the occult. While Blackwood in sentenced to death by hanging, Holmes falls into a bit of a depression after months of no interesting cases. This is compounded by the fact that Watson is preparing to move out of their flat in advance of an impending engagement to his girlfriend, Mary (Kelly Reilly). Holmes has his interest piqued when he is summoned by Blackwood before his execution to warn of additional forthcoming deaths. Blackwood is hanged and declared dead by Watson, but is seen ascending from his tomb days later where a different body is discovered in his coffin. Holmes and Watson must band together to once again take down this madman before he brings an irrevocable darkness to London.
While Downey Jr. may be an American playing an extremely British character, he never feels ill cast in the role. On the contrary, he brings an excitement and devilishness to the character that shakes off the cobwebs of the source material while never losing respect for it. The creative team also delves into the old stories to give new life to the not-as-well-known Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), an American femme fatale and former adversary to Holmes who returns to London for his help under the orders of a mysterious figure. The chemistry between Downey Jr. and McAdams is one of the most engaging parts of the film, as Adler is quite clearly evenly matched with Holmes. Their relationship is almost as heartwarming as the true bond between Holmes and Watson. They are more than just partners, and their instances of almost marriage-like quarreling provide some much needed levity to the gloomy proceedings. London is typically an overcast city, but the evil cloud that follows Blackwood is the true pall over the story. Strong is such a strong, proper villain that you almost wish he was playing someone with more longevity, such as Moriarty.
The script does an excellent job of subverting what we expect from the character of Sherlock Holmes, but just as much attention should be given to the excellent directing from Guy Ritchie. This was the film that got him out of his minor slump and on track to direct future big budget tentpoles. He may have a much larger budget than he had ever seen before, but Ritchie stays true to his general, exciting style that made his gangster films so special. Sherlock Holmes has a propulsive energy that comes through even when there are not big explosions happening or buildings crumbling, which does happen for those in need of big set pieces. The “Holmes Vision” in which Sherlock reveals what is going through his brain on a step-by-step basis is conceptually cool and narratively quite informative. Ritchie uses these techniques to complement the central mystery, but the bones of the story is revealed in a similar fashion that Arthur Conan Doyle would employ. Holmes may get into scraps, but he is most impressive when he unravels all of the mysterious threads woven throughout the film. On paper, this does not appear to be a film designed to be a four-quadrant crowd pleaser, but all of these individual elements coalesce in such a way that you cannot help but be charmed and exhilarated by this adaptation.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Sherlock Holmes offers a solid uptick in quality over the already strong accompanying Blu-Ray. The movie runs a bit more on the drab side of the color spectrum, but that does not stop the disc from being a knockout. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. When compared to Blu-Ray, the 4K version allows for way more depth, clarity and stability to the image. It must be noted, though, that the film is intentionally grimy in its cinematography to match the London setting. The image is as gorgeous as the source material will allow. The white levels are balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. There are some entrancing instances of flames that put the High Dynamic Range to good use. There is a lot of stubble and facial hair going on in this movie, and with this presentation you can see the fine detail of each gentleman’s face. This is a very natural looking transfer that gives the film a three dimensional feel that’s a marked improvement from the Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that makes the film extra thrilling. Sherlock Holmes has a lot of great atmospheric effects that engage the surround speakers including crowd chatter and the panning of the “Holmes Vision.” Dialogue comes through clear in the front channel without being overwhelmed by any sound effects or score. The track has a good sense of directionality with sounds always coming from the appropriate channels. The movie is filled with a surprising amount of action, which puts the low end to work quite often. The Hans Zimmer score provides the perfect atmosphere for this mysterious tale, which fills the speakers well. This track may be artificially boosted somewhat to be more aggressive than necessary, but you cannot argue with the results. This audio presentation is pretty fantastic even without an upgraded audio mix to go along with the video upgrade.
Special Features
- Maximum Movie Mode: You can watch the movie with director Guy Ritchie taking you on a visual journey through the making of the film. Ritchie discusses the film in a picture-in-picture frame where he gives historical context to some of the settings, background on what he was trying to accomplish with his adaptation and more. This is a fascinating way to watch the film, as there is so much information to take in at one time.
- Focus Points: If you don’t have the time or the patience to watch the Maximum Movie Mode, you can get a more streamlined 31-minute distillation of that content in which the cast and crew discuss pretty much every aspect of the film, from providing literary context to the update, accent work, production design and more. There’s a fun bit at the end in which you see a Sherlock Holmes convention that is just delightful.
- Sherlock Homes – Reinvented: A 14-minute featurette in which the cast and crew talk about the Arthur Conan Doyle character, Guy Ritchie’s style, the tone of the film and more. This is a fairly standard EPK package, but it does offer many enlightening moments.
Final Thoughts
Sherlock Holmes is a film that draws you in with its solid cast, and keeps you coming back with the compellingly executed mystery. The pairing of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law is one of the most enjoyable bromances I have seen in some time. Guy Ritchie brings his incredible style to the story while staying mostly faithful to the source material. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has provided this film with a gorgeous 4K upgrade while retaining the strong audio track and previously-included special features. Even if you already own this film, the new 4K UHD disc offers up some very compelling arguments for why you should upgrade. Recommended
Sherlock Holmes is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.