'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' Review (2011)
An expensive and average film without much reason or mystery
Photo: Warner Bros.
I was lukewarm on the first Sherlock Holmes feature. I saw it as a sign Robert Downey Jr. was spreading himself a little too thin and the film itself didn't hold much interest as it devolved into a bloated spectacle of computer-generated sets and a comedic routine that never got past the opening act. So with muted expectations I stepped into Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, hoping the reveal of Holmes' iconic nemesis Professor Moriarty would spice things up a bit. Unfortunately, this turns into more of the same with only slight variations and a complete absence of mystery making for a film you are left waiting for it to end rather than anticipating what is to come.
The cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace, Stephen Fry, Jared Harris, Gilles Lellouche and Rachel McAdams. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" is a Warner Bros. release, directed by Guy Ritchie and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material. The running time is 2 hours 1 minute.
With that comes the continued play on the Lethal Weapon-esque partnership between Holmes and Watson, a relationship I felt was the absolute best thing to come out of the first film, but now, after only two films, it has already run its course and is too over-the-top to take it seriously, even as a farce. Holmes is a mad-genius of an investigator and Watson… Well, Watson just seems to be trying to stay alive throughout the film's two hour running time.
Rachel McAdams returns as Irene Adler for only a short amount of screen time, as the Game of Shadows female protagonist is played by Noomi Rapace, who is taking advantage of her rise in fame as the lead in the Swedish adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to Hollywood, though she is merely a set piece here as the Gypsy fortune-teller, Sim. Her part of the story is to play the third wheel as her brother's involvement in Moriarty's plan becomes something of a sideshow mystery that is less than satisfying.
I was happy to see the absence of the high-wire set pieces, but this time around it's replaced with a lengthy train sequence that's more action-filler than an integral part of the plot. The stakes are low and if you've seen a single trailer for this film you will be well ahead of the action to the point you'll be yawning much of the way through.
Director Guy Ritchie found a way to inject a little bit of ingenuity into slow motion fight sequences in the first Sherlock, playing them out first in Holmes' mind as he prepared his plan of punch and counter-punch. The same technique is used here only with a bit of a twist, which was a welcome surprise the first time it happened, but it quickly became redundant.
To search for outstanding positives in A Game of Shadows is a stretch as this is merely an expensive and average film that felt like it was more interested in remaining just safe enough for PG-13 audiences while only showing hints of real menace that would have turned its villain into something more interesting.
Harris is quite good as Moriarty in that you believe he's got a sadistic side to him beyond his hands-off bombings. He's also smart and, as one brief comment informs us, well-trained in hand-to-hand combat. As a result, the film is best when Moriarty and Sherlock are left to match wits, but this only comes along after we've been forced to endure several repetitive asides that all seem derivative of the first film and so many other films that follow similar plot patterns and feature a pair of buddy cops as the leads.
Imagination has essentially been replaced with dollar bills as Downey Jr. plays 19th Century's Detective Jack Sparrow with a touch of Ethan Hunt's penchant for disguises and the madcap behavior of Martin Riggs. When you're doing nothing more than mining territory already covered you're likely to leave the audience disinterested, which was exactly the case for me with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
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I loved the first one, and for people who enjoyed it I will say part 2 is a very nice sequel. The Downey Law bromance is a lot of fun, and the movie has a great balance of wit, humor, and action. I throughly enjoyed it, and in that the movie achieves what it set out to.
I'm another one who failed to see any charm in the first movie. I can appreciate the two boys playing happy movie buddies but it was boring. The trailers for this sequel look far more appealing though.
I was dreading this would come. Sorry you didn't like it but great review anyways. Question, did you see the dark knight rises full length trailer? Will you have it up by tomorrow?
whateverrr. i had a feeling you wouldn't like it. i for one, know i will love it.
Aha! Below average is a good way to sum up my feelings about the first Sherlock Holmes movie, although it did have a couple of interesting things about it. I'm going to see Young Adult this weekend. But I'm sure I will see Sherlock Holmes, eventually, as it will be ubiquitous in the culture on television and DVD.
Just to clarify, I mean below average for an expensive wide release. Not below average for all films.
So disappointed with the first one and it is sad to see that the second didn't seem to make much if any improvement. I also was hoping maybe Moriarty would inject something into this, maybe like The Joker in The Dark Knight (although Batman Begins was still a very good movie) but sounds like just a typical villian. Downey Jr just doesn't seem comfortable in this role.
Just saw this last night. It isn't horrible, but it just doesn't seem Holmesian enough for me. I've never seen Sherlock Holmes and John Watson portrayed in such a silly manner as Downey and Law play them. They certainly aren't silly characters, but they come off that way here. Moriarty was excellent though. I like Jared Harris's portrayal. But I think I'm just going to stick to the old Sherlocks and the BBC's new Sherlock. This Sherlock Holmes is a bit too Hollywood for me.
After seeing it, I respect your review Brad, but I have to disagree. I felt Downey and Law played off of each other really well, even better than the 1st. The pacing was better on this one too. The forest chase scene and the train scene blew my mind. But I can really see where you're coming from with the whole "turning into an expensive blockbuster". The film looks insanely expensive. Anyway, I was just sharing my opinion on it.
It was better than the first and had a lot more action. But the best part of seeing it was The Dark Knight Rises trailer. Best trailer ever.
Gonna have to disagree with you Brad. I thought it was a good follow-up to a rather forgettable introduction. Sad to see Adler gone in this one though.
The movie was actually exhilarating; quite a unique film I must say, didn't bore me at all.
I really enjoyed 'A Game Of Shadows' and found Downey Jr's portrayal of Sherlock quite entertaining. Def recommend this movie.