It wasn't Holmes directly as written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But, as I understand it, Sir Arthur was trying to write his day's version of pulp crime fiction, and as such, I found this to be a suitable updating to the current conception of same.
I had my expectations set kind of low - the commercials are all about the fight scenes. So, when the movie itself turned out to be more intelligent than expected, to have far better acting, and more chemistry between the characters, I was pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed the film.