Sherlock Holmes staring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams is set for release on Christmas day, but the hype machine is starting early. Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams participated in a Sherlock Holmes panel discussion at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend, and as is traditional at this sort of event, the audience was treated to sneak-preview footage of the movie.  The sneak peek was received with enthusiastic applause, and if the early buzz is any indication, Guy Ritchie might just have a hit on his hands.

Of course, it would be difficult for Squeers! to dislike any movie with RDJ attached, but Guy Ritchie hasn’t given us anything interesting since he met Madonna. Hmm…he marries Madonna and sucks; he divorces her and makes a good movie? I sense a cause and effect relationship! Speculation about the creativity and life-force draining effects of Madonna aside, if an audience this tough thought it looked good (The Con crowd is usually pedantic enough to pick a movie to shreds for minor deviations in backstory), there’s reason to believe it might actually be good.   So, here’s hoping it will live up to the positive press, but if it doesn’t we still have RDJ, and for the straight males, you’ve got Rachel McAdams.

After the jump, the new trailer and character posters. Let us know what you think.