Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
I have to say I was pretty impressed by the first Sherlock Holmes, and what was there not to like? A dark London setting, an eccentric Robert Downey Jr. who just looked like he was having fun in every scene. The follow up film however…meh.
The second film picks up in the middle of a cat and mouse game (its mostly cat) between Holmes and Professor Moriaty (played by Mad Men’s Jared Harris). Moriaty is plotting to start a world war so he can reap the financial benefits of the destruction. Holmes is joined by his friend Dr. Watson (Jude Law) and for some reason Noomi Rapace is along for the ride (seriously, leave a comment on this post if you can tell me why she is here). I guess Rachel McAdams could only spare 5 minutes to shoot this since that’s all the screen time she has.
My big problem with Game of Shadows is the plot. There is nothing new or inventive about it, it deals with bombings, arms deals and a plot to start a world war. By itself it’s not a particularly terrible idea, but in a film titled Sherlock Holmes you would expect there to be some kind of mystery involved, but there just isn’t. It’s a story that would be better served in a James Bond film. As a result the sequel plays as some kind of dumb action movie. In the first film much was forgiven because Downey was so charming in his character, but because of the plot restrictions Holmes is little more than a clever action movie star so he has very little to do with the material he has. As a result his performance this time seems phoned in.
On the other side of the game Jared Harris plays a perfectly convincing Professor Moriaty, his threats carry consequences and he generally seems menacing. In the end he has the same restrictions, as does the rest of the cast, a plot that was not meant for them.
In the end A Game of Shadows delivers some good things, its slow motion start/stop action sequences are fun to watch, and would be rather impressive if not for the fact this does not work as an action movie.
If you were a big fan of the first one, check this out if you feel so inclined. If you had lukewarm feelings about it, this is an easy pass.
2/4 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment