‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ is our first film review of 2012 and if it’s an indicator of the quality of films this year I’ll be praying that the Mayans were right about this little blue planet going boom.
Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his sidekick Dr Watson (Jude Law) join forces to outwit and bring down their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris).
Director Guy Ritchie continues his bland take on Holmes with ‘A Game of Shadows’. Ritchie seems to have the character confused with the world’s greatest detective – Batman. Holmes spends more time cracking ribs than being a detective and the overblown slow-motion action sequences bog down a majority of the film. Ritchie’s style of filmmaking overtakes everything and his obsession with the moving parts of a gun is a form of munitions porn.
Considering the wealth of stories available in the Sherlock Holmes book series it’s a shame the screenwriters couldn’t find a decent plot, and it’s a crime against the characters creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s just one action set piece after another and there is nothing to keep you interested in the story.
Downey Jr. and Law make a good team and it’s their relationship that lies at the heart of the series. Harris is a fantastic actor but misses out on making Moriarty a truly memorable villain.
After blowing up a small chunk of Europe ‘A Game of Shadows’ hits its stride a little in the finale but after just over two hours I was barley awake to even care.
Warner Brothers Sherlock Holmes franchise has stiff competition in the form of the brilliant BBC television series ‘Sherlock’ that is far superior to both the films combined. Save your time and track down a copy of ‘Sherlock’ on DVD.
1.5/5
‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ is now showing in cinemas.
Release in Australia by Roadshow films.
The Popcorn Junkie
Like your reviewing style, but enjoyed the sheer silliness of the first installment and will most likely see this today.
I gave it 7/10 myself. It was an okay film with humour and a bit of good action, but it just didn’t interest me much. Great review though! I am new here also.
This movie was really awful. I like both Downey and Law but this was just bad-especially if you have actually read and actually enjoy Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation of Sherlock Holmes.