Credit: Gage Skidmore

So, you have finished Enola Holmes 3. Welcome back to the Sherlock rabbit hole, people. It happens every time, doesn’t it? One Holmes mystery is over, and the next thing you are looking for is another detective who can walk into a room and stunningly tell everyone what they had for breakfast. If that’s you, don’t stick Enola straight back on. Go and give Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes a whirl instead.

Before Netflix made Sherlock’s baby sister a household favourite, Robert Downey Jr had already aced the crowd-pleasing detective. Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock scraps in underground boxing rings and tests odd experiments on himself. He is sarcastic and forever one step away from making a mess.

The film does not waste your time either. Sherlock and Dr John Watson finally catch occult murderer Lord Blackwood before he claims another victim. He is hanged and everybody sees it happen, and that should be the end of it, right?

Only a few days later, people start swearing they have seen Blackwood wandering round London alive. The city is panicking, and everyone is whispering about dark magic. But Sherlock is not buying it!

Soon enough, one impossible murder snowballs into a conspiracy full of secret societies. Guy Ritchie loves dangling the supernatural right in front of you, only for Sherlock to stroll in and pull the whole thing apart with logic.

Can we please talk about Robert Downey Jr. himself? Did you know this film came right after Iron Man, when he could’ve easily coasted on Tony Stark’s swagger? Instead, he gives Sherlock this twitchy energy, with a social awareness of someone who has never read the room in his life. Dead entertaining to watch.

Also, we can’t ignore Jude Law because he doesn’t get enough credit. Loads of Sherlock adaptations turn Watson into a glorified cheerleader, but not here. He keeps Sherlock honest and calls him out when he’s being a pain in the neck. This Watson saves his skin more than once.

Their bickering feels like two old friends who have known each other forever. Then Rachel McAdams rocks up as Irene Adler and finally gives Sherlock someone who can keep him on his toes.

The production is quite impressive too. Instead of depending on loads of CGI, they built huge Victorian London sets, including the unfinished Tower Bridge for the finale. You can almost feel the grime and the smoke, which is why the film still holds up while plenty of blockbusters from the same era already look a bit ropey.

So if Enola Holmes 3 has left you fancying another mystery, this is your next stop. It’s got clever clues and memorable characters with tons of action to keep things lively. More than fifteen years later, Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes is still one of the boldest, funniest takes on the detective because he never does what you expect.