Viewed in
2013
Formats
HDTV
Premise
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they take on Professor Moriarity.
Loved
Forest chase scene.
Liked
Flashy action.
Disliked
The rest of it.
Thoughts
Pretty much same as the first one.
Downey and Law were charming as expected, though I wished for more witty banter between then. Downey's escalating ridiculous costumes made me laugh. Director Guy Ritchie obviously had more to play with budget-wise, with larger sets, multiple locations, and souped-up action with all sorts of guns, gatlings and cannons. The best part was our heroes being chased down by baddies in the forest, with bullets and mortars raining down upon them while Ritchie bends time and space for all kinds of stylish eye candy.
Obviously, bigger isn't better. I found the many scenes between the action sequences to be quite dull, despite the cast's best efforts. As much as I like Stephen Fry, he didn't bring as much comedy relief as I hoped for as Holmes' "oddball" brother. Also, the lack of Rachel McAdams, and lack of Holmes and Watson togetherness, created a dearth of cheeky charm that I recalled from the first movie. Jared Harris as Moriarity hardly felt like a strong enough nemesis.
I wasn't a big fan of the first Sherlock Holmes flick mainly because I felt it was not in the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories and characters. The sequel naturally had the same issues. In some ways, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was a step up to the original in terms of visual flair and gratuitous slow-motion shots. But the moments in-between struggled to keep the action-oriented momentum going.
