Sherlock Holmes [Blu-Ray]

Elementary rejected, hot Watson. Guy Ritchie's entrance into tent-pole directing is the first truly reverent depiction of the iconic investigative duo on screen ― at least that's what about a quarter of the special features are aimed at driving into viewers' skulls. Years of previous cinematic treatments are apparently at fault for the majority of clichés attributed to Holmes and Watson. However perceived purists feel about this iteration of Holmes is irrelevant though; it's beautifully shot, dripping with style, bouncing with charm and more than a little prone to grand spectacle. And thus a franchise is born. Our adventure-addicted detective and his no longer portly ex-military partner have a new bag of old tricks to employ in a battle of wits and um, sticks, fists, guns and bombs with feared occultist Lord Blackwood. Bare-knuckle boxer Holmes (action figure with Ba-Ritsu grip and coke habit not included) and stalwart, ass-kicking Watson have to suss out the validity of sorcery after a freshly hung Lord Blackwood returns from the grave to resume a grand schemed dressed in murderous distractions. A little playful antagonizing of Scotland Yard's Inspector Lestrade while on the case is one of the multitudes of small joys Holmes finds in life, women not typically being among them, except in the case of one Irene Adler. Rachel McAdams does a fine job in the lone female lead, but it's nearly impossible to stand out next to Robert Downey Jr., who gives yet another remarkably nuanced performance, every tick of mental process written in the slightest adjustment of his expressions, the cast of his eyes and minute shifts in his body language. Above and beyond is the only call of duty for Downey, whose natural charisma and eloquence, not to mention disciplined martial arts training, are a perfect fit for this modernized retrofit of Sherlock Holmes. Guy Ritchie's rhythmic direction and editing serve the aesthetic of Holmes's mental gymnastics well, but one can't help but notice that once the credits roll there's very little intrigue left to chew on aside from who'll be playing Moriarty in the sequel? If you want more proof that this is a Holmes taken from the pages of Arthur Conan Doyle, "Behind the Story" is plenty, but there's even more littered throughout "Maximum Movie-Mode," which includes the now standard director walk-ons, storyboards, FX comparisons, timelines, facts, interviews and focus points, which have their own menu, for when you don't want to fast-forward through the bits where nothing special is happening.