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Monday, December 19, 2011

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows


***A double review from Danielle and Katie. MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows picks up right where the first movie left off, with Watson being studious like always and Holmes being well....Holmes.

I found this movie entertaining but not as much as the first one. Granted there were a few amazing scenes that will stick in my head, the story line and the investigative aspect seems to have been lost somewhere in there. I felt that the action took over where investigations should have been.

Enjoying the dark scenery, with there being small splashes of color added in at different times. The train scene was a lot of fun to see and it had a few laugh factors added in to make the ride a bit more interesting. The escape seen was done up a bit differently than most action movies, there was quite a bit of stop motion and slow motion shots to make it more dramatic over what would be big loud explosions.

The cat and mouse chase throughout the movie was somewhat tedious and repetitive. The technology was wrong for the time period that the movie was supposed to portray. The female lead was changed within the first 10 minutes or so I didn't seem to care for and the fact that the story had to backtrack to explain why this happened, didn't sit too well for me.

I would recommend this movie, but only to those that have seen the first movie.

I'd give this 3 sheep.

~DD~

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, directed by Guy Richie, stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Naomi Rapace, Jared Harris and Stephen Fry. It's an action-packed snarky camp-fest for the ages, I enjoyed every single minute of the over the top detective crime story.

Plot:
Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room...until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large-Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)-and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder-a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction-all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.

Robert brings the eccentric grit in his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. I absolutely love this man's ability to take on a character and slay them. He's over the top and hokey but he IS that version of Holmes and by Jove he's got it! Jude's the best Watson companion by far, the man takes the licks from his pal and boy does he keep ticking. These guys have some of the best male to male banter out there today, I've not seen anything this sweet since Will and Martin in Bad Boys. It really takes two guys who you can tell have this same dialog off screen to really pull this off.

On the down side, and ps total spoiler moment here, a major scene which is shown in the trailers was sadly cut from the final movie. Stop reading right now if you don't want to know. The train scene that has Robert dressed in women's clothing and Jude pointing a gun in his face with the dialog loosely being about getting a gun out my face and Jude saying its not in your face its in my hand. Gone! A whole fun bit that also ties into the first Sherlock is cut from the movie! Fear not good readers my email of complaint has been sent out to the powers that be in Hollywood. But more then anything I missed out on more Sherlock banter!

You get to meet Sherlock's brother Mycroft, and what a character that guy is! These two are cut of the same cloth and that's all I'm going to say. It was awesome seeing my girl from the Swedish Dragon Tattoo series and I hope Hollywood will be picking her up for more roles in the future. Moriarty is one bad dude and Vicious with a capital V but he gets you really pulling for Sherlock and company. A tad predictable in parts towards the beginning but as the story picks up you really have little clue what could happen next.

I was lucky enough to screen this movie with my brother who as it turns out has read three of the novels from this series and while he was able to give me much more insight to the characters overall I'm frankly glad to be just watching the movies. I will recommend based on just what he's told me that if you've yet to dig one out you absolutely should.

Over the top action and adventure keep you entertained through the longer then normal runtime, awesome cinematography I've yet to actually see. Some cutting edge graphics are being utilized by Richie and team bringing Sherlock to the front of this Holiday season of movies. It also had an awesome score by Hans Zimmer, and I freaking love Hans. If you liked the first Holmes I'd recommend this one for you, if you're not sure of the series or have yet to see the first please check around at other reviews. I'm personally hoping to see a few award nods coming these boys ways and I'm waiting on pins and needles to see if the series will continue once again!

Getting 4 Shirley Sheep
KD

4 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed the first movie and have been looking forward to this one. Thanks for sharing today :)

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  2. It's pure popcorn entertainment. I think expectations have been set high, and rightly so, for this franchise. I enjoyed the fun of it all, so for me it was an enjoyable time.

    Really looking forward to hearing what you thought of it!

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  3. ohh i loved it! and i agree, having read the novels, i found it awesome that they did put a bunch from the books into the movies (the end scene with M and Holmes..)

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  4. I can't wait to watch it! I loved the previous movie and I know I'll love this one just as much. I've been meaning to read the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but sadly, haven't gotten down to doing that just yet.

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