Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game Of Shadows

The first movie played it safe and payed off, as this refreshing update of the victorian super sleuth was a massive it, so it came as no surprise that two years later comes this much bigger sequel. But has we all know Bigger is not always better and being so quick of the mark you could expect to be disappointed.
The thing is that A game of Shadows is mostly a huge success. For the first twenty minutes you could be forgiven for wondering what's going on as the plot seems all over the place, but just like the first 2009 movie the fun is finding the clues, and as this movie progresses they all start to fit into shape like a jugsaw puzzle. Downey JR and Law are the perfect couple, so much so that you expect them to be married as they bicker but you know they love each other deep down in a man-love kind of way. This is impounded when Watson gets married and Holmes sulks off.
Things pick up with a outstanding train sequence and the fantastic slow-mo mortar shelling of a forrest that is thrilling. The film is even funnier than the first and having a scene with a naked Stephen Fry as Holmes's older brother you can only thank god it's not filmed in 3D! But what makes this film superior to the first is in the shape of Holmes's nemesis Professor Moriarty, brilliantly played by Jared Harris (son of Richard) as he plays it not as a hissable bad guy , but some one who matches Holmes intelectually but is the flip side of him. Every scene they are together is mesmerising. But unfortuntley the film does have a few faults Noomi Rapace (Girl with the Dragon tattoo) plays a gypsy looking for her brother but in her first English speaking role is seriously under used and all she seems to do is eat, drink where a hat and run. Also maybe at times the clever plot does tie it's self up in knots leading to confusion that can be rushly explained, but they are niggles in what is a great old school adventure film with a few modern twists that;s much bugger, funnier than the first, leaving us all waiting for the third chapter.
See if you like......
Shelock Holmes 2009.
Indiana Jones Quadrilogy.
Snatch.
Lock Stock and two Smoking Barrels.
Rock N Roller.
From Hell.

The first movie played it safe and payed off, as this refreshing update of the victorian super sleuth was a massive it, so it came as no surprise that two years later comes this much bigger sequel. But has we all know Bigger is not always better and being so quick of the mark you could expect to be disappointed.
The thing is that A game of Shadows is mostly a huge success. For the first twenty minutes you could be forgiven for wondering what's going on as the plot seems all over the place, but just like the first 2009 movie the fun is finding the clues, and as this movie progresses they all start to fit into shape like a jugsaw puzzle. Downey JR and Law are the perfect couple, so much so that you expect them to be married as they bicker but you know they love each other deep down in a man-love kind of way. This is impounded when Watson gets married and Holmes sulks off.
Things pick up with a outstanding train sequence and the fantastic slow-mo mortar shelling of a forrest that is thrilling. The film is even funnier than the first and having a scene with a naked Stephen Fry as Holmes's older brother you can only thank god it's not filmed in 3D! But what makes this film superior to the first is in the shape of Holmes's nemesis Professor Moriarty, brilliantly played by Jared Harris (son of Richard) as he plays it not as a hissable bad guy , but some one who matches Holmes intelectually but is the flip side of him. Every scene they are together is mesmerising. But unfortuntley the film does have a few faults Noomi Rapace (Girl with the Dragon tattoo) plays a gypsy looking for her brother but in her first English speaking role is seriously under used and all she seems to do is eat, drink where a hat and run. Also maybe at times the clever plot does tie it's self up in knots leading to confusion that can be rushly explained, but they are niggles in what is a great old school adventure film with a few modern twists that;s much bugger, funnier than the first, leaving us all waiting for the third chapter.
See if you like......
Shelock Holmes 2009.
Indiana Jones Quadrilogy.
Snatch.
Lock Stock and two Smoking Barrels.
Rock N Roller.
From Hell.

The sequel returns and doesn't fail to deliver. The story follows on from the first but almost feels like an entirely different kettle of fish. Its fresh, has a new life and feels like something new altogether.
The story just keeps on going, whenever you think its wrapping up, guess again. Just when you think you know whats around the corner, you were wrong.
Sherlock is the same, Watson is the same, its a pair who just seems to compliment eachother nicely on screen.
There's a lot more laughs than in the first one, this one has you chuckling from the opening minutes to the dying seconds. It feels like a comedy which just happens to have a great thriller story intwined.

Overall: If you liked the first, you'll love the second. Laughs throughout with a great story to suck you in. Guy Ritchie's directing brings it altogether and delivers a KO.
Must See

the plot started off a bit dis-jointed and stayed there. good acting from the leads again, but the story was no where near as good as the first.
The pre-thinking of action moves was so overdone you couldn't be sure if it is happening or whether holmes is thinking about it first.
This movie was extreemly disapointing and totally failed to engage me at any stage - couldn't wait for it to be over. Such a predictable ending I laughed in the cinema.

Which is something that does happen with sequels from time to time and is probably a result of how quickly the film was put into production following the success of the first film in 2009.

Picking up about a year after the last film we find Dr Watson on the eve of his wedding and a Holmes who has become more and more intent on tracking down his nemesis Dr Moriarty. As a series of random and seemingly unrelated events are connected by Holmes, he soon realises the scale of Moriarity's true plans and must give everything he has to prevent disaster.

The key pairing of Robert Downey Jnr and Jude Law is central to the film here just as it was in the first, which is good because the film has a very sluggish and slow first hour as it drags itself together and starts to have anything resembling a plot to hand. However, once the trail begins then a solid enough action film emerges and manages to build to a quite well done conclusion at a famous location in Holmesian lore!

Of the new cast Jared Harris is a convincingly menacing Moriarty, channeling effective nonchalance as he casually informs Holmes of just what he will do to stop him, but Noomi Rapace is essentially wasted in a sidekick role that doesn't give her anything remotely major to do apart from serve as a female role in the film. Although Stephen Fry is also welcome as Holmes brother and intellectual and deductive match.

I enjoyed it, but I do feel the first film was stronger and that if they make a third they need to up the game a little to avoid some of the sluggishness that afflicts this entry in the series.