Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

[Victarion]

Wunderbar. Sounds like a fine sequal.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

That's what I was afraid of. The trailer is all action and puns with no apparent plot or mystery. Sounds like it really is just another Pirates movie with Moriarty, Noomi Rapace and Stephen Fry as window dressing. How sad.

Yeah same here, I thought the mystery in the first got a little repetetive at times, but I didnt want to see removed completely, I still wanted some of it in the sequel and I didnt want it replaced with just plain old action.

 

[henry_9305]

I will see this tomorrow. Hope it can top the first one.

 

[Paroxysm]

I'm taking my girlfriend to see this opening night, we're going to watch the first one before we go.

 

[jacobed]

This is a pretty great movie, if you like the first you'll more than likely like this one. The chemistry is top notch, the action is pretty great although the slo mo gets to be a bit much, Mycroft is awesome and its nice to McAdams again. By far the best part is Moriarty, he just oozes intelligence and cunning. Every scene with him is fantastic and the climatic chess game between him and Robert Downey Jr. is phenomenal. My biggest complaint is without a doubt Noomi Rapace, she phones in her performance big time. Some people will say oh she just has nothing to do, no she just gives a bad performance.

 

[DACrowe]

So you thought Moriarty did have a good role? How much screen time does he have? Is there an actual mystery or are they just running around Europe chasing him?

Anyway, I will say in advance Noomi likely has nothing to do. Rachel McAdams is another very talented actress who came off as wooden and stiff in the first film and it's just a trend of Ritchie not seeming to know how to direct women in his movies. I can't think of a strong female performance he's directed in one film.

 

[The Morningstar]

I thought Newton was good in RocknRolla.

I really loved the first one. I liked the way the clues to the mystery were right there in front of us the whole time, but weren't revealed until the end.

Hope this one at least matches it.

 

[Mace Bloodstone]

Anyone know the trailers attached to this?

 

[TheVileOne]

So you thought Moriarty did have a good role? How much screen time does he have? Is there an actual mystery or are they just running around Europe chasing him?

Anyway, I will say in advance Noomi likely has nothing to do. Rachel McAdams is another very talented actress who came off as wooden and stiff in the first film and it's just a trend of Ritchie not seeming to know how to direct women in his movies. I can't think of a strong female performance he's directed in one film.

Moriarty is very good in the movie. I'm not sure how long his screen time is but you know he's the main villain. They don't just save him until the end. He's featured throughout.

McAdams and Rapace are good for what they have to do. I like McAdams a lot more than Rapace's character. And honestly, I really enjoy Kelly Reilly as Watson's girlfriend/wife, Mary. So in terms of female characters/performers by Ritchie, she does quite well.

There is a bit of mystery surrounding Moriarty's plans and how he will execute them and I don't want to spoil much more.

Also here is a link to my official review:

http://www.411mania.com/movies/film_reviews/214927

 

[chaseter]

So is there any mystery or solving of clues at all in this one? Sherlock's winding through the maze in the first one is part of the fun as we discover things with Sherlock though not until he explains everything. If we know the evil plan at the beginning and this movie is only about Sherlock and Holmes getting to that place with no mystery then I will be saddened a bit.

 

[TheVileOne]

Yes there is a lot of that done through Guy Ritchie's unique lens. This movie, Ritchie basically drives the Ritchie style up to 11. I could get more in depth specifically on the clues and the things that Sherlock "winds through" but that would be spoiling .

 

[Rocketman]

Just got back from the midnight screening.

This was waaaaaay better than the first one. Without a doubt in my mind.

 

[Ultimatehero]

As someone that worked on it, I was a little put off by the comingsoon.net review - but I'm really glad all you guys seemed to have liked it so far and I can pass along the good word. I thought the film was awesome, but I'm also biased lol.

 

[Brain Damage]

I, unfortunately, ended up being very disappointed by this movie, and honestly, it's a clear archetype for the typical bad sequel. It feels very much like the first one, but as someone mentioned, with the Guy Ritchie effects cranked to 11. So, what you end up with is a movie that looks incredibly stylistic, but way too often it just becomes mind numbing in its repetitiveness, and some shots were just so weirdly out of place that they immediately took me out of the experience and into a state of "what?"
But of course, had the plot been up to par, the visual thing wouldn't have been that big of an issue. Unfortunately, what we get here is a muddied and convoluted plot that goes basically nowhere. The first Sherlock Holmes had a convoluted plot too, but it unraveled its details with precision and kept the leaps of faith to a minimum, Game of Shadows however has a plot twist so out of nowhere and bizarre that it almost rivals Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The biggest problem however is that this movie feels like it's just one set piece after another, action upon action with little bits of plot in between; it almost feels like a video game, where the plot is the cinematic between levels. And thus, the plot there is is rather weak. I won't go into spoilers, but rest assured that after the first act, plot devices are just used to move from one action sequence to another.
Now, I've said a lot of negative things about this, but it is not a complete disaster. There are some genuinely fascinating scenes and some really great moments (my personal being when Sherlock realizes he is wrong about a bomb) and as mentioned before, some of the stylistic bits are brilliant. The big problem here is that this feels like they took everything that made the first movie good and just attempted to add a whole lot more of it, losing all of the delicate balance of the original.
As for the characters, RDJ is great in this role, he truly embodies the character and goes a bit overboard with it. For some that might now work, but there's no doubt that it's an entertaining as hell performance, much like Jack Sparrow. Unfortunately, both of these characters suffer from bad writing in their sequels and thus both of them lose a lot of their potential.
Law is a very mixed bag here. I adored him as Holmes in the first, and he brings a lot of the same quality back for the sequel, but there are just some scenes (like one when Watson is taking care of a wounded Holmes) that just seem so forced that it makes me wonder why Jude Law appears to be phoning it in so desperately.
But of course, no movie is complete without its villain, and this one could have been so much more. We are supposed to fear him, oh yes, we are told his plenty throughout the film, but yet, for all of the thing he orchestrates, he's never actually given much to do, so except for one scene, he never comes off as threatening. I understand what they're trying to go with here, and Harris is fun to watch, but Moriarty is just a badly written villain who doesn't leave very much of an impression.
If you're a Holmes fan, you're probably already going to see this one, but if you're on the fence, I'd say wait for it to be a rental. RDJ and Jude Law are still fascinating to watch together, but they suffer from a poor script. But it's still a fun movie to see, and for a night of kicking back with some friends and a few beers, it might be perfect.

 

[henry_9305]

Just saw it a few hours ago and I really like it. I like the first one but I think this is even better. Action scenes are all great, especially the train shootout and factory escape. Slowmo are well used in the film and they manage not to over use it.

Overall, I give it a 9/10.

 

[corby]

Just got back from watching it and I really enjoyed it more than the first. Moriarty is definitely my favorite part of it all.

 

[Joker's Lackey]

Really enjoyed this one, better than the first. Moriarty was awesome. But he look like an older, evil version of Ewan McGregor/Obi Wan

 

[redhawk23]

So is there any mystery or solving of clues at all in this one? Sherlock's winding through the maze in the first one is part of the fun as we discover things with Sherlock though not until he explains everything. If we know the evil plan at the beginning and this movie is only about Sherlock and Holmes getting to that place with no mystery then I will be saddened a bit.

Actually in terms of what you describe, no there is no real mystery at the heart of this. I agree the mystery that Holmes must weave his way through as he faces off against Mark Strong in the first film is fantastic as is the way the mystery has been seeded throughout the movie and then Holmes explains it, in the way only Holmes can.


That is missing from this film. There are a few bits of clue finding, but to very specific intermediate goals not to the overall plot or Moriarty's scheme (which he pretty much explains to Holmes himself).

At the start of the film Holmes already has his web of clues pointin straight to Moriarty. He even has a fair idea of what he's up to, he just can't prove it.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I'd give it an 8/10. I loved literal and figurative the chess game between Holmes and Moriarty, the characters were fun, the villain plot was intriguing and the movie looked great. I especially enjoyed all the nods to The Final Problem. My only complaints were that the film was a little too slow in some scenes, like when Watson visits Holmes in his apartment, as well as a bit too much of the slow-down action. I also thought Noomi Rapace's storyline really didn't feel like it was resolved at all. But still a very worthy and fun sequel. Looking forward to part 3.

 

[The Guardian]

Just got back from the movie, LOVED IT, it's just as good if not better than the first one, 9.5/10!

 

[TheDragonator]

Gonna see it on Sunday with my friends.

 

[Frodo]

Although it was a bit silly at times its on par with the first IMO. I really didn't c the decline that critics seem to mention. Both films lacked strong mysteries, both placed emphasis on style over substance, and both had slow 2nd acts with break neck 3rd acts. That said I really enjoyed both. If ur a fan of the 1st you'll like this one.

 

[Victarion]

Any sequel bait at the end like in the first?

 

[ALP]

Any sequel bait at the end like in the first?

Hell Yeah! Downey's Sherlock is so brilliant in these movies. The way he peruses every detail of a scene, plans his moves/escapes, and analyzes the enemies is even better in this movie than the first. There's not a single bit of doubt that he's the world's greatest detective. 9/10

 

[Doctor Jones]

This might be better than the first. What makes it so are the scenes between Holmes and Moriarty. There's such intrigue to it all; the plot as well. It really is as paced as Holmes' mind is.

I gotta say, when I read the Holmes stories, I see and hear RDJ and Law in my head.