I just want a Rachel McAdams of my very own.

Strangely enough, after having read every Holmes novel, having seen almost every Holmes film with Basil Rathbone, and every episode of the Holmes series with Jeremy Brett (my favorite Sherlock, by far), I can actually kinda see Robert Downey Jr. as the man from 221B Baker St. He's flippant in the face of authority, eccentric, occasionally flamboyant, and just about right for the role.

I'm also not terribly bothered by the fact that the movie will obviously "Hollywood-ize" the world of Holmes and Watson by adding more action, sexual tension, and "oomph" than the previous films or novels contained (case in point, the scene from the trailer wherein Holmes and Watson fire guns simultaneously - Holmes almost never carried or used a gun, and only occasionally requested that Watson carry his revolver, usually on particularly dangerous cases). A certain "modernization" of older narratives like Sherlock Holmes is only to be expected in this day and age, and I'd neither be bothered by, nor surprised with, a little "steampunk" update to the story.

Unlike many people who know way too much about a particular fictional world or narrative (like Star Wars, Star Trek, et al), I actually welcome some deviation from official canon as refreshing. The appeal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation is timeless, despite the temporal fixity of the storyline (19th century England). It's also flexible enough to bend to the cinematic conventions of the times without breaking altogether.

That said, I get the feeling I'm going to enjoy this film. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

well said

I agree with noble_savage. Is the only real Shakespeare that which is performed in the style of Elizabethean theater (in which case, no female actors allowed?)

Certain stories reach the stage of timelessness when they can be adapted in forms not originally conceived of by the author.

Just imagine, some day we may see a reboot/reimagining of Star Wars.

I don't want Holmes to be an action hero. He was an opium smoker not a boxer.

Sueno - Actually, Holmes was a well-trained pugilist. He knew quite well how to box, and his hand-to-hand combat skills came in handy in a couple of stories.

He was indeed an opium smoker. He also used heroin occasionally, although the references to it are more veiled than the references to opium.

As for him being an "action hero", see my post above - that kind of thing is pretty much inevitable in films these days. How else to keep people's attention than with a little action?