Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Robert Downey Jr. returns to the big screen this week in Guy Ritchie's sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Fans of the 2009 Sherlock Holmes should enjoy this action-adventure movie, which doesn't stray from the moneymaking formula of the previous outing.

Hot on the trail of his arch-nemesis Moriarty (Jared Harris), Holmes and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) reunite for one last adventure on the eve of Watson's wedding. Aiding them in their quest are a gypsy fortuneteller (Noomi Rapace) and Holmes' brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry).

Did I enjoy Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows? Yes, absolutely. THe movie had better pacing, more interesting visuals and more intriguing characters than its predecessor. Would I call it a great film? Unfortunately, no.

For every good new idea, Ritchie has an equally bad or irritating bit of directing going on. The largest of these was a scene involving characters being chased through the woods. The camera jumps back and forth from normal speed to bullet-time slow motion to show, in dramatic detail, the bullets chopping up the trees. My least favorite shot, perhaps in any movie, this served no purpose other than to bore me and make me impatient for something relevant to happen.

Characters disappear with no plot resolution, and the "Holmes-o-vision" feels overused. Perhaps the heart of the problem for me with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is that this reimagining of the Holmes character is an action hero, who uses little to none of the deductive reasoning popularized by Doyle's character. This version of Holmes is not at all cerebral. There are a couple of good gags, but Holmes spends most of his time fighting his way out of bad situations.

Law's Watson, in the meantime, has very little to do, except for one solid scene in an ammo factory. Jared Harris plays a Moriarty whose motivation is entirely unclear and who does almost nothing through 88% of the film. Stephen Fry steals the show comedically as Holmes' brother Mycroft, a role suited to his singular talent. Though I deplore its failure as a mystery, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a success as an action-adventure with a touch of comedy. If I were grading this, I'd give it a B+.