While the movie is certainly worthy of praise and is a very excellent sequel to the first one, my review will be focusing on what now has become a monumental case of false advertising about getting a "Digital Copy" product. To be fair to the movie, I did give this a 5 star rating. There are other excellent descriptions of the movie already published under reviews so I am focusing on the product.What you are getting with this and any other "Ultraviolet" product is NOT a digital copy. You don't get a copy of anything. All you get is the right to create an account to access the servers of the so called "Ultraviolet" system. Hence, if you are at an airport, you get the joy of using your data plan to capacity (and paying actual additional dollars if you have exceeded capacity) only to realize that while on the plane, you have no access to your purported digital copy. This is one of the biggest scams in the digital age. Advertising to let you think that you are getting a "copy" of a movie, when all you get is access to a web site, when it is up, using your own internet bandwidth and the dollars that go along with it. If consumers don't fight this severe advertising deception, soon true digital copies will be a thing of the past and you will be stuck with Bluray vs. iTunes. Buyer beware. Stand up to Ultraviolet and don't let them ruin the digital copy experience. We are all paying good money for these. The least we could get in return is a digital copy to take with us, legally on a plane ride or traveling otherwise.
Again, remember, all you get is access to the Ultraviolet website with no guarantee of its continued existence. That is not getting a copy of anything at all. Just a promise that as of today, you will be able to access a web site owned by a greedy conglomerate of movie studios who want to prevent you from having a portable copy of the movie so they don't have to share any profit with companies like Apple.
First and foremost, Robert Downey Jr is an extremely gifted actor. Most people know that, but his command of this role is exceptional. You have probably seen the extent of his preparation in regards to the proper English accent he had to masterbefore ever getting infront of the camera! His acting in this film is up there with Chaplin and his other great performances. He is Sherlock Holmes and I believe any version of Sherlock in the future will be hard pressed to equal Downey's version. And Sherlock definately needs a worthy Watson. Enter Jude Law. The perfect sidekick, who has to shake off Sherlock's barbs at times, but is equal at firing back. Its part of the charm of these movies. When the going is rough they are a perfect team. When they are at each other's throatsthey're just as perfect.
Watson's wedding and honeymoon should have been great memories for himtoo bad Sherlock is working on "the single greatest case" of his career! That meansedge of your seat action, mystery and not the least of all ruining poor Watson's honeymoon! The scenes where Sherlock and Watson are on the train are some of the funnier moments of the film. "I'm on my honeymoon!" "Did you just kill my new wife!". To top it off, Sherlock's disguise!
The men are in pursuit of Professor James Moriarty. A challenging opponent for Sherlock, which is proven countless times throughout the film. Mr.Moriarty is waiting for an outbreak of war, because he owns a large weopons cache/factory. Sherlock must get to the professor before France and Germany put Europe in turmoil. There are some classic confrontations between Sherlock and the professor. Great dialogue and witty banter back and forth. The two men finish a chess game without even looking at the board, while talking about their own personal moves in the next room. That is a great scene.
Not to be forgotten in all the excitementare the scenes with the gypsies. Sherlock's interest in the gypsies is for the sister of Renee. Noomi Rapace -from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoois excellent in this role. And a natural fit with the other actors. There are several great scenes with Sherlock and Watson trying to mix with the gypsies. Then theres the case of how Sherlock will travel across the countrysidehave to see this!
Lets hope there is a 3rd installment. It looks like a sure bet, but things can change. I think Downey and Law have great comedic chemistry. It would be great to see these guys atleast one more time playing these iconic characters. And adding another chapter in Sherlock lore.
The End?Well this film is that level of fun. After kicking into gear they quickly take an old and familiar setting and bring it into the modern day (figuratively that is, since this is actually set in the late 19th century). They manage to do this without making it too youth oriented. The true fun in this film will be in rewatching it, the quick banter and fun plot twists that turn out to be thought out well in advance (for the most part), will only be more enjoyable upon multiple viewings. The layers, much like those found in the Pirates script, are multiple and cerebral. They hit the viewer without our full awareness and when we later realize this it brings a smirk if not a smile to the face. Many plot points that seem by chance or appear to be toss away jokes end up returning and playing a larger role in the story, it's nice to see some effort in a big budget blockbuster especially when its a sequel.
The action and staging of set pieces might not properly belong in the era portrayed (according to some critics) but it makes for a fun and well balanced film in my opinion. This isn't meant to be historically accurate, its meant to be a version of history much like Gladiator or Pirates. The performances are excellent and I found RDJ to be even more comfortable in his role as Holmes, surprising since he has so many other films and franchises now on his plate. Having laid the groundwork in the first film he spends more of the film flexing Holme's emotional levels, mainly regarding his relations to Watson and Irene Adler. Jude Law becomes much more familiar as Watson and thus becomes much more likable because this time he adheres to the objective with much less resistance (possibly because he has a chance to really let out his frustrations with Holmes early on). The two obviously have that strong relationship that goes beyond friendship, something Ritchie quite enjoys playing with but that makes for something different and refreshing while allowing for moments of strong humor.
Also compelling was Noomi Rapace, filling a space left by McAdams departure after a short but meaningful cameo early in the film. Noomi is given somewhat of a small role and largely facilitates plot purposes but her character does have an arc and emotional stakes that make her important to the story, if not always fully utilized. She of course develops an interest in Holmes but again this is well justified given the events that transpire and doesn't feel as forced as one would assume. Another new face is Jared Harris, who is a very cerebral Moriarty. I really enjoyed his performance but was prepped for it, having enjoyed him on the series Mad Men. For those not familiar with his "proper/formal" Englishman style I'm not sure if he will come across as menacing as some might hope or expect, even based on the first film. I thought he played the villain in a unique way and did so quite well.
In short, if you enjoyed the first you will enjoy this, at least I don't see how you couldn't. If you didn't enjoy the first because of the occult vs. science storyline, the pacing, or perhaps the uneven still developing characters, I will say I personally found this one to be much improved and much more comfortable with itself all around. I did enjoy the first but never thought I'd need to see it again, but I found myself rewatching it after seeing this sequel, and this film I want to own and rewatch, again and again, just as I do with Pirates Curse of the Black Pearl.Sherlock Holmes was one of my favorite movies of 2009, so my expectations for this film were high. I was not disappointed in the least. Though the first film was tighter, I enjoyed this one far more. Game of Shadows has a very ambitious plot, that falters somewhat half way through. Holmes and Watson's trip to Germany, while host to the most exciting scene in the movie, is a bit cluttered story wise. Everything makes sense, but it isn't until the end of the movie that you find out why.
Robert Downey Jr. is compared to Benedict Cumberbatch, star of the excellent BBC show "Sherlock: Season One [Blu-ray]", a comparison which I find unfair. While Cumberbatch is indeed brilliant in his portrayal, Downey is equally so in a completely different way. Their performances are apples and oranges, with the only similarities being that you will enjoy both. Jude Law, once again, shines as Watson. Him and Downey have chemistry, the likes of which I have never seen on film. The term bromance is tossed around too frequently these days, but it fits Holmes and Watson to a tee.
The villain of this film, Moriarty, played to perfection by Jared Harris, elevates an already entertaining film to something with some weight behind it. He is a foe of intelligence on par with Holmes and the game they play is fascinating to behold. While there may be one too many action sequences, the fight at the stag party, and the always wonderful Noomi Rapace is given nothing of real importance to do, this is, as stated above, an unfailingly fun, and wonderfully enjoyable movie, well worth your time and hard earned dollar. Highly Recommended.Guy Ritchie's first 'Sherlock Holmes' was a decent, if completely forgettable attempt to reboot/remake the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle characters for a modern-movie audience. Now 'Sherlock Holmes:Game of Shadows' is out and while I don't think it comes any closer to successfully rebooting the franchise, as a sequel it makes a remarkable number of improvements and ends up being a very entertaining film.
The main story of 'Game of Shadows' has Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigating a series of bombings and assassinations that put them on the trail, and in the cross-hairs of arch-criminal Professor Moriarty and master sniper Sebastian Moran. The plot in this film has some fun twists and turns as Holmes and Watson team up with a mysterious gypsy and Holmes' older brother Mycroft, but it's the battle of wits between Sherlock and the Professor that keeps this film engaging; Moriarty is a dangerous and diabolical adversary which raises the stakes in this film head-and-shoulders above it's predecessor.
The acting in 'Game of Shadows' is much more level-headed than the first 'Sherlock Holmes' and therefore easier to swallow: Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law's Holmes and Watson act less like a bickering couple and more like long-time friends who actually care about each other. Stephen Fry brings dry-wit and welcome comic relief as Mycroft Holmes. Noomi Rapace is great but seems wasted in a smaller part as the gypsy. Rachael McAdams, who I couldn't stand as Irene Adler in the first film makes a surprisingly welcome (if brief) appearance in the film. As good as these actors are however it's Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty who ignites the screen and the scenes between him and Downey Jr. are nail-bitingly tense.
As with everything else in 'Game of Shadows', the camera-work is an improvement over the original 'Sherlock Holmes' though is still a bit overblown. The slow-motion, rewinding-hand-to-hand combat scenes are much more fun as things don't always go the way Holmes plans. The more open environments in this film add to the atmosphere and make the action seem less artificial. Ritchie still favors super-close-ups and a bit too much slow-to-fast motion (I couldn't tell what was going on during one particular chase scene through a forest) but overall the movie stays coherent from beginning to end.
As I've said: Guy Ritchie's 'Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows' is far from a successful reboot of the Holmes/Conan Doyle characters (and still carries a lot of pointless disguises and sight-gags), but as a sequel that gets right what it's predecessor got wrong it stands as a very fun movie experience.
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