Rated
PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, and Some Drug Material)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 9 Minutes
Cast:
Robert
Downey Jr.-Sherlock Holmes
Jude
Law-Dr. John Watson
Jared
Harris-Professor James Moriarty
Noomi
Rapace-Madame Simza Heron
Rachel
McAdams-Irene Adler
Stephen
Fry-Mycroft Holmes
Kelly
Reilly-Mary Morstan Watson
Paul
Anderson-Colonel Sebastian Moran
Eddie
Marsan-Inspector G. Lestrade
Geraldine
James-Mrs. Hudson
Directed
by Guy Ritchie
 |
| Sherlock Holmes faces off against Professor James Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows." |
Exactly
two years ago in 2009, director Guy Ritchie struck gold by re-imagining Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous literary detective Sherlock Holmes as a bona-fide
action hero in a film that became a surprise hit among modern audiences, owing
much of its success to Robert Downey Jr.’s energetic portrayal, who imbued the lead
character with a likable roguish wit and charm. “Sherlock Holmes” did extremely
well at the box office with a final worldwide gross of $524 million, impressive
considering that it faced stiff competition from James Cameron’s 3D visual spectacle,
“Avatar.” A sequel was all but expected considering the first film concluded
with one of its subplots deliberately left unresolved, leaving Ritchie with the
challenge of making a follow-up that not only retains the fun thrills of the
original but also raises the stakes and action set-pieces. While “Sherlock
Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is an intermittently enjoyable flick that wisely
retains the sarcastic banter between its two leading men, it ultimately
disappoints and makes for a hollow viewing experience as it suffers from the
same flaws that plague most modern sequels in its weak attempt to hide a
lazily-written story under a veneer of flashy fight scenes and loud explosions.
Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) is dutifully recounting an adventure he had with his
at times irritatingly good friend and comrade-in-arms Sherlock Holmes (Robert
Downey Jr.) in 1891 on his typewriter, revealing that Europe was on the brink
of war after suffering from a series of bombings perpetrated by an unknown
group of anarchists. Holmes, in an ill-conceived disguise, is stalking his
sometimes lover and enemy Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), who is delivering a
package to a wealthy doctor named Hoffmanstahl in exchange for a sealed letter.
Hoffmanstahl believes the package to be his compensation but it is revealed to
be a bomb, which Holmes quickly disposes of while Adler makes a quick escape.
He realizes in the confusion that the doctor has been killed by a small
poisonous dart that induces a heart attack. Adler arrives at a crowded teahouse
to meet with Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris), the criminal mastermind
behind the events of the first film. She tries to explain what happened but Moriarty
poisons her as she had been compromised by her feelings for Holmes. Meanwhile,
Watson arrives at 221B Baker Street to remind Holmes that he is getting married
to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly) the next day and should head out for his stag
party. Holmes reveals that he is currently working on the single most important
case of his career and that recent events have all been tied to Moriarty,
although he does not yet have sufficient evidence to bring him to justice. At
the party, which includes Holmes’ equally sarcastic brother Mycroft (Stephen
Fry), Watson is disappointed that none of his friends have been invited and
sulks off to the gambling tables. Holmes, however, is there to meet with a
gypsy fortune teller named Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace) and gives her the letter
he stole from Adler. He asks for Simza’s help in locating her brother Rene, who
is the author of the letter and is the only lead Holmes has on Moriarty. Holmes
defeats a Cossack assassin sent to kill Simza but she escapes during the
confusion. After Watson is married and sent off to his honeymoon with Mary,
Holmes finally meets face-to-face Moriarty. The two admit their admiration for
each other but Moriarty warns that if Holmes does not desist from interfering
with his plans, he will begin to target those closest to him. Assassin’s sent
by Moriarty attack Watson and Mary on the train to their honeymoon but Holmes
had already stowed aboard in another inept disguise. The duo manage to escape
after a huge firefight and they embark on their final case together in order to
stop Moriarty from instigating a ‘world war’ among the nations of Europe.
“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is a lazy sequel that rests on the laurels
of the original film, with an ill-conceived script that makes no logical sense
and is little more than an excuse to string along a series of loud action
scenes while pushing its characters from point A to point B, as if it was in a
rush to be over. Despite the promise of such a well-known villain from Doyle’s
stories, Moriarty’s ultimate plan is surprisingly banal given the way the film
makes him out to be some grand-scheming sociopathic genius. Ritchie, with
writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney, attempt to thematically connect the plot
with the uncertainty of today by having Moriarty fund a group of anarchists (or
terrorists) to sow the seeds of conflict for a war between the European
nations. His goal is to reap the profits from the war since he owns much of the
weapons manufacturing industry. These ideas show promise but when implemented
into the story, it comes off as half-baked as nothing meaningful is being said.
Plot points are often blatantly telegraphed in the dialogue and Holmes’
deductions border on deus ex machina by treating the audience as idiots with
long-winded explanations. The humor is largely hit-or-miss and often tries too
hard to elicit laughs. Ritchie’s steampunk-inspired visuals are well done on a
technical level but the flashy action scenes soon grow tiresome with its
overuse of slow-motion in order to showcase random objects splintering into a
million pieces or Holmes planning out his fights in his mind. However, it was a
nice change of pace to have Holmes and Moriarty wage a climactic battle of wits
over a game of chess during the final twenty or so minutes of the film. Such a
game feels befitting for two geniuses who reside on opposite sides of the same
coin but unfortunately, it’s a case of too little too late.
“A Game of Shadows”
wisely retains the sarcastic banter between Holmes and Watson, the original
dynamic duo, and this can largely be attributed to the rapport Robert Downey
Jr. and Jude Law share. At times, Downey Jr.’s performance borders on parody
with his wordy witticisms and increasingly ridiculous disguises but he remains
as one of the few bright spots of the film because he’s clearly enjoying
himself in the role and is complemented so well with Law’s more understated
acting. The weak script however does not afford any opportunity to develop
their characters since it’s in such a rush to move to the next location. Rachel
McAdams is quickly done away with in the first fifteen minutes and Noomi Rapace
is simply wasted in her American debut as she often just stands in the
background staring into space and having little to say. Jared Harris is
deliciously evil as Professor James Moriarty and the best scenes are when he
and Holmes try to outdo each other with nothing but their intellect.
Disappointingly, there are far too little of these scenes. Stephen Fry rounds
out the cast as Holmes’ equally eloquent brother Mycroft but he serves as
little more than comic relief.
“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was
released on December 16, 2011 to mildly positive reviews with 59% on Rotten
Tomatoes. Critics found the sequel to be ‘a good yarn thanks to its
well-matched leading men but overall stumbles duplicating the well-oiled
thrills of the original.’ Despite the enthusiasm exhibited by audiences for the
first film, “A Game of Shadows” has been under-performing at the domestic box
office, with a weekend gross of $40 million compared to the original’s $62
million. The previous film also had to contend with “Avatar” but although the
sequel will earn less, it should make back its estimated $125 million
production budget and turn a sizable profit to warrant a third entry, as was
intentioned judging from the ending as once again a plot thread is left
unresolved. Box office analysts have been trying to explain away the current slump
and while the dismal economy does factor in, the answer is more obvious as the
pre-release advertising for “A Game of Shadows” just showcased more of the
same. Hollywood is currently so
afraid to even attempt anything new for fear of losing money. “Sherlock Holmes:
A Game of Shadows” benefits from the camaraderie exhibited by Downey Jr. and
Law but this sequel is ultimately an exercise in pointlessness with its
nonsensical script and hollow action scenes.
Final
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
“They're
dangerous at both ends and...crafty in the middle. Why would I want anything
with a mind of its own bobbing about between my legs?”
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