The movie “Sherlock Holmes” is many things, as is the old boy himself. This new take on the world’s most famous and favorite pipe-chomping sleuth is a macabre-lite dark comedy; a psychological-crime-supernatural thriller; as well as an action-packed detective period-piece. Holmes (the always fabulous Robert Downey Jr.) is an inventor, a recluse, a spy, a master of disguises, a scientist, a genius, an eccentric, a musician, a cold and calculating misanthrope and an ablebodied fighter. He teams up with a youthful Dr. Watson (Jude Law) to solve mysteries (crimes) that interest him and thus do good for England and humanity. Their friendship is a type of mutual admiration society, though Watson always seems worse for the wear due to their acquaintance. The only thing that comes between them is Watson’s impending marriage (which will break up their well-oiled team), so Holmes does some obvious and ill-appreciated (by Watson) sabotaging of the relationship. But Holmes’ life is not devoid of romance either. An old flame (Rachel McAdams) with a shadowy, wrong-side-of-the-law past resurfaces and unsettles Holmes in more ways than one, setting him off on what turns out to be a world-saving endeavor. What’s in it for Holmes? It’s all a very serious game for him (and Watson can’t resist the lure of whatever his friend is up to, either). But Holmes also seems to feel the pull of the dark side and must keep himself in check. The new “Sherlock Holmes” involves lots of chases and firing of pistols and debonair Victorian haberdashery punctuated by clever, witty British banter. What better way to introduce a new generation to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s indelible, quirky investigator? If the public votes with their wallets, there will be sequels. If it works, director Guy Ritchie got away with a rather intelligent movie. It’s great fun to listen to Holmes spilling about what clues he observes and puts together, as well as his mental sparring with Watson. The fate of the evil character Lord Blackwood reminds us that the devil only promises what he can give in this life. He never even falsely promises eternal life — the thing we’re all supposed to want. Only Jesus promises (and delivers) eternal life. And so often we are willing to settle for what we can get in this life only. In the end, reason, logic and science (used in the employ of the good) defeats fear, hocus-pocus and techno-madness. Elementary, my dear Watson.