Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Movie
2012


I was a fan of the black and white movies of old with Basil Rathbone playing our inimitable hero. While I enjoyed the modern remake with the fine acting of Robert Downey Jr. in the first Holmes movie I wasn't prepared for Sherlock to be a street brawling swashbuckler. Never fear in the second movie he still holds his own when guns and knives come out. This movie was well done in the modern format such as it is. Modern movies with their extreme closeups and fast, frenetic editing can be exciting visual candy, but it is not a substitute for great dialog and good story telling. Fortunately Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows has both.

If you can get past Holmes being a manic, street smart, wise cracking genius the mystery is pretty good. This film pits Holmes against his greatest foe, the one and only Professor Moriarty (played Jared Harris). Clues are scattered about for future use as the movie progresses, the trick is to guess which are ultimately relevant. The look and feel of the sets/locations is excellent. No expense was spared to make the environment seem like what we imagine the 1890's to be.

Dr. Watson, played by Jude Law, is not all the character we came to love in the old movies. He is as loyal to Holmes as the original but less of a slow wit and far more prickly. Law does a good job but the character is somehow not right, but then again neither is Sherlock Holmes himself.  They do work well together, but if you're at all nostalgic for the original films this rendering can be hard to swallow.

The movie starts with a reprise of Rachel McAdam's delicious character from the first movie - the mischievous Irene Adler. However, she makes a quick exit and a love interest for the Holmes character is never re-established. It can be argued that it isn't even missed since the wedding of Dr. Watson to Mary seems to come between Sherlock and John anyway.

The mind games between Holmes and Moriaty are decent, helping to build some tension and suspense, but the wise cracking irreverency Downey brings to the character is a little like inviting Captain Jack Sparrow to the party. There is also just a little too much dependency on slow motion through the critical action scenes that drag the movie down when it should be hectic and a bit unpredictable. What was so effective in the first movie as we watched Holmes evaluate the moves of both his adversaries and himself before they happen tended to drag this film out. It is OK and even worthwhile if it is used sparingly, in this movie it's just too much of an old thing.

Overall it's a afternoon of good fun. You'll laugh, you'll cringe (you'll eat popcorn), but rest assured this film will not be winning any awards.



3 of 5 stars


CW