Sherlock Holmes Warner Bros

Some people won't like this film because Ritchie played about with it. Here Holmes isn't the usual slight, aloof genius we've seen in previous film/TV outings, capable of resolving every issue with just his intellect.

Robert Downey Jr plays the character with all the out-of-this-world intellect and anti-social attitudes you'd expect but with the added feature that this Holmes is all too eager to get into the action - even down to a bit of bare-knuckle prize fighting.

In other words, Ritchie's moved him back towards the Holmes of Arthur Conan Doyle's original tales. Don't even think of looking for a deerstalker.

The plot is a bit of a pick 'n' mix from other films. You could describe it as a Victorian era buddy movie detective story - a kind of Lethal Weapon with tweed.

It's also Sherlock Holmes Dan Brown style - a secret society seeking to overthrow the government with one lone individual trying to stop them. Add in a mysterious code underneath it all that Holmes has to crack to save the day and a villain, Lord Blackwood, who's straight out of the Scooby-Doo school of villains. There's even the "dark magic" and big reveal of how the impossible was achieved. All we needed was Velma pulling off his mask.

But despite all this, this is a fun movie. Guy Ritchie has updated Holmes, created a template for a possible new movie franchise. His Holmes and Watson splendidly re-imagined for the 21st Century, his London magnificent yet squalid, every inch of its exterior covered in grime yet still manages to shine.

Not perfect, but fun - and worth watching.

Page updated 19 June, 2010