In the opening scene, legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. Watson, help the rather dimwitted Scotland Yard investigators to arrest the serial killer Lord Blackwood. After that, several months pass without a new case, and a depressed and bored Holmes hardly leaves his messy apartments. Worst of all, Watson is planning to move out and get married. But then, Lord Blackwood, who has been hanged for his crimes, appears to have risen from the dead, and taken control of a well-connected secret society. It is up to Holmes and Watson to track him down and dispel his apparent supernatural powers.

Too much action, too big a villain, too much Dan Brown, and too much setup for future sequels, but fortunately, the magical tricks do get explained by the end (I was worried), and the dynamic between the two leads (Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law) keeps the film entertaining.

6 points