Sherlock Holmes - Spiel im Schatten

So what's been happening lately?

There has been a series of bombings and assassinations across Europe and if these activities continue, war will erupt and Europe will become a field of casualties and devastation. And our favorite detective Sherlock Holmes suspects Professor James Moriarty as the mastermind behind all these events.

Meanwhile, amidst the bombings and destruction which are ravaging Europe, Sherlock Holmes's partner, Dr. John Watson is finally getting married with his fiancée Mary. After being engaged in the first film, they are finally getting married and a short funny wedding scene has been reserved in the film. They're even going for a honeymoon in Brighton. Or they were supposed to go for a honeymoon.

The train the couple boarded was filled with Moriarty's henchmen and a loud, explosive battle ensues eliminating any hopes of an upcoming honeymoon. Even though Watson had been planning to retire from adventuring with Holmes after his wedding, he reluctantly becomes Holmes's partner one more time while his wife is taken care of by Holmes's brother, Mycroft. And the duo will receive an additional member to form a trio: the mysterious gypsy Madam Simza. Together, they try to stop Moriarty from continuing his cruel schemes and Holmes learns about Moriarty's plan to start a war in which he will personally benefit from.

There are lots of action scenes that keep the film exciting and keep the film running in a constant, fast pace. The action sequences are louder, much more explosive, and much more energetic than the ones present in the predecessor. They are very loud, operatic, and exuberant. But some of the battle sequences are surprisingly quiet, such as a simple chess game held between Holmes and Moriarty. While you think a chess game would be boring, Guy Ritchie filmed it as if it was a grand battle. The sounds, the atmosphere, and the dialog adds another layer of tension and makes the chess game scene more atmospheric.

Not only the action scenes, but the humor here is outstanding. Most of the jokes and humor come from the titular character himself. His bizarre behavior, regardless of his intelligence add a layer of comedy to the film. His trademark hobby, disguising into several unexpected people is just purely entertaining. If it weren't for Robert Downey Jr., the humor here would have collapsed and become a disaster.

And of course, the acting and performances by the cast were brilliant and outstanding. Robert Downey Jr. is just brilliant in portraying the titular detective. He is admirable and he is really a man of talent. Don't worry, Jude Law also plays the role of Dr. John Watson perfectly. Together, they form an excellent chemistry. Also worth mentioning is Noomi Rapace as the mysterious gypsy Madam Simza, who not too long ago played the role of Lisbeth Salander in the original version of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". Stephen Fry plays the role of Mycroft Holmes to perfection.

I'd like to take some time discussing the character of Professor James Moriarty. He is a very compelling villain. His professional life as a criminal mastermind is hidden beneath his profession as a professor in the University of Cambridge. He is much more intelligent, much more cunning, and much deadlier than Lord Blackwood of the previous film. While Holmes seems to be a detective that can do no wrong in the previous film, here, he will make mistakes. Here, he will feel pain. Moriarty is just a very powerful villain and a very suitable opponent for Holmes. (And remember the slow-motion scenes where Holmes elaborates his fighting strategies in his mind, Moriarty can do it too.) And to further compliment this is the performance of Jared Harris. While he may not look suitable as an antagonist, he actually makes a perfect choice.

However, the film uses too much slow-mo effects. This is largely noticeable in one particular scene which has an extensive use of slow-motion. I know the effect is mainly used to make it look more stylish but there is certainly too much of them. Running at a duration of 129 minutes, it could have been shortened if some of the slow-mo effects have been removed.

Not only the slow-mo effects, but this film seems to have lost its trademark element of mystery that is present in the first film. Even though there are some mystery present here, they are not as mind- boggling as the ones present in the first film. In the first film, there are just so many questions that popped up and Holmes really has something to work on. But here, it's not mysterious. You know the full details immediately.

Nevertheless, "A Game of Shadows" is a pleasant experience and a whole lot more fun than the original film. Its operatic action scenes will entertain the audience and its comedic scenes will add a layer of laughter. With powerful performances from the cast, this film is one not to be missed in this movie season.

Final Verdict: "A Game of Shadows" is a stylish, fast-paced, yet comedic adventure which improves upon its predecessor in several aspects, and surely a highly recommended film.

Rating: 8/10

Thanks for reading my review on "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows". I do hope this review is useful.

Professor Moriarty: Are you sure you want to play this game? Sherlock Holmes: I'm afraid you'd lose.

In Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, my mind turns two ways: The first half is guns, gunpowder, and gymnastics. Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Dr. Watson (Jude Law) contend with the salvation of civilization mostly through athletics, aided by director Guy Ritchie's considerable skill with the camera and graphics.

But in the second half, when the duo moves swiftly but intellectually to confront the arch villain Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris), my mind is at equilibrium, renewing my love of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original brainy, eccentric sleuth. The chess game is a marvel of strategy, replete with revenge, intrigue, and just plain ingenuity. Director Guy Ritchie's visuals include delightful Downey disguises and lively speed ramping in a forest bombarded by bullets. Hans Zimmer's music leans heavily on the fiddle to lighten the load of a difficult plot.

Watson's marriage, rather than taking away from the bromance, adds unexpected color and creativity. So Ritchie has ramped up the intellectual content and at least balanced it with the athletic, which was a strength of his 2009 version, Sherlock Holmes. With Inspector Lastrade just a memory and Holmes's love, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), appearing briefly, we are left to enjoy not so much the interaction of Holmes and Watson but the explosiveness of Holmes and Moriarty.

After a first half of explosions, the second half satisfies traditionalists like me for the chess game of life and death—and that's the suspenseful fate of the world in those pieces. Director Guy Ritchie has improved on his 2009 version.

Holmes and Watson battle Moriarty.

I loved it, it is an absolutely bonkers, of the wall thrill ride, and purists of the traditional Holmes stories will probably be appalled, but if you're after two hours of intense fun, and high energy excitement, you will love it.

The cast are tremendous, Downy, Law and Harris are all first rate, hard to put a pin between the trio, and ten years on, the special effects are still jaw dropping.

It's good fun as well, several laughs, I loved Downey's various disguises, reminiscent of Rathbone.

I love how some elements are thrown in, the events of Reichenbach, the appearance of Moran etc, although you can't really think Conan Doyle would ever have imagined most of the events here.

Rip roaring good fun, 9/10.

We just got back from the earliest showing we could get a sitter for. I can say with confidence that my fears about this movie were totally unfounded, and I now hold Guy Ritchie and these writers in the highest regard. Without going into spoilers, here are the three concerns that were put entirely to rest: 1) After seeing the trailer, my biggest worry was the use of "bullet-time" type photography during a Victorian-era movie. I thought it would be completely anachronistic and pointless. However, they'd already established in this movie and the previous one that Holmes is hyper-aware of his surroundings. The bullet-time was used to convey how traumatic a couple of scenes were to someone with that type of awareness, and it worked beautifully.

2) Jared Harris looked so vanilla and soft in the promo pics and trailers that I couldn't imagine him as a fearsome adversary for Holmes. However, his Moriarty is so devious and cunning, and at one time downright sadistic, that I don't think they could have made a better choice. A couple of times I felt like he was channeling his father (the outstanding Richard Harris) without the warmth and empathy that the late actor conveyed. Can you imagine Richard Harris as a cunning, calculating perfectionist that's totally devoid of concern for human life? You won't have to after watching his son. It's freaky. And he sings.

3) Holmes' relationship with Watson (and in a small way, Irene Adler) is fantastically developed. Saying any more than that would be too spoilery.

So, watching this w/ my husband(who is a die-hard Sherlock fan, and used to read Sherlock Holmes aloud to me every rainy night, complete w/ voices) was a fabulous experience. We can't wait to see it again, and own it.

Doesn't matter how you look at it, this movie is darn good fun. I loved it from opening credits to the close. So what if the acting is a bit over the top, so what if there are probably too many explosions and bullets and bombs. The end result is a thoroughly entertaining 2 hours at the movies with popcorn and Pearl and Dean ads. Moriarty is sufficiently creepy and played with restraint, Holmes is completely over the top but for me if its Robert Downey Jr there are no complaints. The story keeps moving and the action is terrific. The story is loosely based on the last book of the Conan Doyle's first series of Holmes stories ending with the famous Reisenbach Falls in Switzerland. It also gives a great image of early 20th century on the brink of the first world war. If you want to enjoy a good story with great imagery and costume then you will enjoy this, if you are looking for Sherlock ( wonderfully called Shirley by Mycroft ) as Conan Doyle intended then you may be disappointed.