Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law reprise their roles as Holmes and Watson. Is this sequel as good as the first? J.P. reviews “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”
“SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS”
Warner Bros. Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for “intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material”
Run Time: 129 minutes
URL: sherlockholmes2.warnerbros.com/
Studio Synopsis:
Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”
Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective.
Around the globe, headlines break the news: a scandal takes down an Indian cotton tycoon; a Chinese opium trader dies of an apparent overdose; bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna; the death of an American steel magnate… No one sees the connective thread between these seemingly random events—no one, that is, except the great Sherlock Holmes, who has discerned a deliberate web of death and destruction. At its center sits a singularly sinister spider: Moriarty.
Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his ominous plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history.
Filmmaker Guy Ritchie returned to direct “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” the follow-up to the smash hit “Sherlock Holmes.” The sequel also reunited producers Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. Bruce Berman and Steve Clark-Hall served as executive producers.
In her first English-speaking role, Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who gained international attention in the Swedish film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” plays a mysterious Gypsy named Sim, who becomes allied with Holmes and Watson in their quest to stop Moriarty. Jared Harris (TV’s “Mad Men,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) joins the cast as the notorious Professor Moriarty. Stephen Fry (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) plays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s decidedly eccentric older brother.
Returning from the first film, the cast also includes Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler; Kelly Reilly as Watson’s bride, Mary Morstan; Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade; and Geraldine James as Holmes’s long-suffering landlady, Mrs. Hudson.
“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and appear in stories and novels by him.
Ritchie once again collaborated with the behind-the-scenes team from the first movie, including director of photography Philippe Rousselot, production designer Sarah Greenwood, editor James Herbert, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and composer Hans Zimmer.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Wigram Productions, a Guy Ritchie Film, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77UdYWDkgVE[/youtube]
J.P.’s Take:
The “Sherlock Holmes” moniker has come a long way from its humble beginnings. If you’re looking for any resemblance to the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories, you’ll find a totally different beast altogether.
”Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is fresh and much more exciting to watch than its predecessors. With tighter writing, the story is more involved this time around, as Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) ultimately meets his arch nemesis, Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris) face to face — and, yes, finally we get to see the Professor’s face. As a result of this meeting, Holmes realizes that he’s dealing with a truly twisted mind. Moriarty challenges him to a game of wit to see who can out smart whom and where the plot turns dark is when we find out what the Professor’s true plan entails. Hiding behind his scholarly guise, Moriarty is an anarchist whose fiendish plan is to use assassinations and bombings to thrustEurope into war. In the process he also stands to profit greatly from this by operating a munitions manufacturing plant. There, he’s able to control the sale of guns, ammo, and tanks, along with other gears of war.
Aside from this major storyline, a subplot is carried over from the first “Sherlock” film. We learn of Dr. John Watson’s (Jude Law) engagement to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly) in the original “Sherlock” film — a wedding date has been locked into place. Holmes feels slighted by this union and finds a way to interject in the life of the happy couple.
I enjoyed the chemistry between Law and Downey in the first movie, and in this sequel, their bromance remains unchanged. In fact, their friendship is made stronger through their experiences. Also the writers provide us with an antagonist: Moriarty is a worthy of the bad guy code. He creates a truly suspenseful game of cat and mouse between himself and Holmes. Something most action flicks lack these days. The remaining cast members of Noomi Rapace (playing Sim), Rachel McAdams (Irene Adler) and Stephen Fry (Mycroft Holmes) all provide great motivation for the main characters to work off of.
I’m really impressed with Guy Ritchie’s prowess as a director in keeping consistent with the character’s signature style. Sherlock Holmes continues to employ his sharp wit and craftiness to aid him in his sleuthing. Ritchie also manages to inject slicker fighting scenes, more explosions and a nail biting action to keep the audience’s alert.
Like the “Pirates of theCaribbean” franchise, the “Sherlock Holmes” series will astonish its audience with hair raising action and nicely paced suspense with a fun atmosphere. All in all, this follow up is well worth the ticket price ~ even worth seeing again just to catch what I missed in the first viewing.