SHERLOCK HOLMES On DVD Today is Worth Your Investigation

Highly recommended by every dabbler within a ten mile radius of our Springfield Home Office is Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.  The film's available on DVD and Blu-Ray/DVD combo today from Warner Bros Home Video, and if you didn't catch the good detective at Christmastime, now's your chance to do so.

 

Ritchie's Holmes is far less Agatha Christie or even strict Conan- Doyle than he is super hero, just the type of character that Downey Jr's getting used to playing quite well. Holmes' detective skills verge on the level of super-genius if not super-human, yet the character is anything but a super man.  And like any good (super) hero, he's much better with a sidekick at his side - in this case, Law's Doctor Watson.  The two share an immense fascination with each other that's funny to watch and wide open to subtextual interpretation.

Without being experts on Sherlock Holmes' many earlier incarnations, whether in literature or on the screen or stage, we're hard pressed to say if the current film's subtext is a theme that's new to the character or one found elsewhere.  But Downey Jr's own Holmesian take is clearly unique, and he meets the time-honored seriousness of Arthur Conan Doyle's detective tongue pressed firmly against cheek.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have enjoyed many adventures before their most recent outing on the Big Screen, but this latest movie may be the biggest departure from canon that the characters have experienced.  Instead of just tweaking the type of hats they've worn (shown in part but oh-so-well here by The Many Hats of Sherlock Holmes 1962-1983 via), Ritchie's wrangled with his character's deeper aspects, creating new truths for old heroes.  Our official DabbleRating:3 1/2 Magic Hats.