So the headlines say.
I saw the movie yesterday and enjoyed it tremendously. I am very happy that Robert Downy Jr. appears to have gotten control of his personal demons.
I don't worry about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spinning in his grave. If he is, it is probably with GREAT JOY that the character he created has proven to be so entertaining and inspirational to millions of people, and thus shall it ever be, amen.
Downey's Sherlock is as cerebral as Rathbone's, but with an added element of physicality. After all, Doyle told us Sherlock was a skilled boxer. Downey shows us how skilled, using a mix of traditional boxing, wing chun kung fu and Philippine stick fighting techniques with devastating effect on his opponents.
The way is clear for Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law to enjoy a series of sequels if everyone keeps their heads. With "Sherlock Holmes" the way is open for Downey and Jude Law (Dr. Watson in a younger and far more viril form than Nigel Bruce ever imagined*) to enjoy a string of sequels, which ought to provide them both with a very comforable retirement when that time comes.
If sequels are planned, they should be filmed back-to-back as the last couple Harry Potter films were. This is not only efficient, but ensures that the movies will be "in the can" when personal or historical whims might dictate otherwise.
...and Professor Moriarty is barely in evidence yet.
*Dr. Watson had served in the British campaigns in Afghanistan and was decorated for his valor.