I went to see the second of the new Sherlock Holmes movies tonight. The short version: it's good, it's fun, the audience applauded at the end; it's worth your money; but it wasn't quite as good as the first one.
First, the bad. We'll just get it out of the way. For me, the bad was that there is essentially no mystery in this movie. Holmes isn't really trying to unravel anything as he did in the first movie. Instead, he pits his intelligence against that of his nemesis, Professor Moriarty, who is capably but not exceptionally portrayed. He is an intellectual match for Holmes, but Jared Harris is not quite an acting match for Robert Downey Jr.
Their intellectual duel across Britain and continental Europe is fast-paced and interesting, but without the mystery it plays out more as a straight-forward sequence of events and action scenes as each tries to stay one step ahead of the other. As such, it's more actiony and less Holmesy even than the first movie. Holmes' intellect and powers of deduction are put to use more for action purposes than for anything else.
That said, most of the action sequences are quite well done, and are fun to watch, with the possible exception of a slow-motion-filled sequence in a forest (you've seen bits of it in the trailer) that felt somewhat out of place. Holmes saves the day and outwits those who want to kill him with breakneck speed and dazzling gusto throughout a variety of settings.
All of it is of course held together by the fantastic performance again offered by Downey Jr., and the continued quality of the chemistry between him and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. This was a strength in the first movie, and it's probably the greatest strength of this sequel.
If you were offended by the move away from traditional portrayals of Holmes, this movie will only deepen that impression. If you enjoyed seeing a new take on the classic character, then this new movie holds up well enough despite lacking the pacing and some of the cleverness of the first entry.
It's a little too actiony and the resolution is a little too predictable, but on the whole it's a well-made, well-acted, fun movie that makes me yearn for more mystery in the inevitable third act.
If I had to give it a score, I would give it an 8/10 (I would have given the first one a 9).
First, the bad. We'll just get it out of the way. For me, the bad was that there is essentially no mystery in this movie. Holmes isn't really trying to unravel anything as he did in the first movie. Instead, he pits his intelligence against that of his nemesis, Professor Moriarty, who is capably but not exceptionally portrayed. He is an intellectual match for Holmes, but Jared Harris is not quite an acting match for Robert Downey Jr.
Their intellectual duel across Britain and continental Europe is fast-paced and interesting, but without the mystery it plays out more as a straight-forward sequence of events and action scenes as each tries to stay one step ahead of the other. As such, it's more actiony and less Holmesy even than the first movie. Holmes' intellect and powers of deduction are put to use more for action purposes than for anything else.
That said, most of the action sequences are quite well done, and are fun to watch, with the possible exception of a slow-motion-filled sequence in a forest (you've seen bits of it in the trailer) that felt somewhat out of place. Holmes saves the day and outwits those who want to kill him with breakneck speed and dazzling gusto throughout a variety of settings.
All of it is of course held together by the fantastic performance again offered by Downey Jr., and the continued quality of the chemistry between him and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. This was a strength in the first movie, and it's probably the greatest strength of this sequel.
If you were offended by the move away from traditional portrayals of Holmes, this movie will only deepen that impression. If you enjoyed seeing a new take on the classic character, then this new movie holds up well enough despite lacking the pacing and some of the cleverness of the first entry.
It's a little too actiony and the resolution is a little too predictable, but on the whole it's a well-made, well-acted, fun movie that makes me yearn for more mystery in the inevitable third act.
If I had to give it a score, I would give it an 8/10 (I would have given the first one a 9).
Warder to starry_nite
Chapterfish — Nate's Writing Blog
http://chapterfish.wordpress.com
Chapterfish — Nate's Writing Blog
http://chapterfish.wordpress.com
Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows
- 18/12/2011 07:14:16 AM
1053 Views
I thought the ending was hilariously awesome. Everyone in the audience, including me, LOL'd.
- 18/12/2011 07:54:33 AM
678 Views
It was hilarious enough for me to forgive it making no sense 
. *NM*
- 18/12/2011 09:32:27 PM
403 Views
. *NM*
- 18/12/2011 09:32:27 PM
403 Views
I rewatched the first one last night, after a 10 hour game of poker.
- 18/12/2011 10:56:39 PM
634 Views
I've been trying to find a way to express how I feel about this series, and I think I've found it.
- 20/12/2011 01:48:40 AM
827 Views
I feel like they captured some aspects of the books better, though
- 20/12/2011 11:09:26 PM
529 Views
Sounds like our opinions on the film franchise are fairly similar.
- 03/01/2012 02:32:26 PM
543 Views