ANALYSIS:

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.)  is obsessed with stopping Professor James Moriarty (Harris)  that they become looked in a game of chess with real people as chess pieces.   Holmes has tracked down the intricate web that Moriarty has weaved.   On the eve of Watson's wedding, Holmes saves the life of a gypsy (Rapace) and Moriarty targets Watson.  After saving Watson on a train trip which is supposed to be the start of Watson's honeymoon, Holmes and Watson race across Europe to stop Moriarty's plan to ignite a war across Europe.

 

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS is an entertaining thrill ride, but parts of it are not as good as the first film.   The deductive logic of Holmes isn't in this sequel as much.  Ritchie has chosen to focus more on action and humor in this film.   He wants to portray the game that Moriarty and Holmes play against each other.  

 

Other reviewers have a point that the battle of wills between Holmes sand Moriarty should be from afar.   I wish the movie had Moriarty be more operating from the shadows instead of making a focus to show what Moriarty is doing.   A GAME OF SHADOWS should have focused even more on Holmes discovering this and uncovering it.   My one problem with the new SHERLOCK HOLMES films is that both film gives too much away by also showing what the villain is doing while Holmes races to deduce it.    If they edited down showing what the bad guy does during the film, I think the first film and the sequel would be stronger.  I do enjoy both films, but I rather have the films be just from the point of views of Holmes and Watson while only revealing what the bad guys are doing when our heroes meet them and through what they discover.   The acting is great, but Noomi Rapace seems wasted in her role as a gypsy woman where she was so stellar as Lisabeth Salander in the Swedish TV series, MILLENNIUM (which are adaptations of TEH GRIL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and the other two Steig Larsson novels).

 

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS is a flawed and entertaining action film which could have been much more.  If they make a third SHERLOCK HOLMES film (which is a forgone conclusion given how much this sequel will probably make), I hope they focus less on showing what the bad guys are doing and more on Holmes uncovering what they are doing.   I cringe to think what they will do if they choose to adapt the old standard known as the overrated HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES.  If they do, I hope they bring more mystery back to Sherlock Holmes.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DR. WATSON: A PERFECT CHEMISTRY- a focus on the acting chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.  They slipped back into the roles like the first film was finished yesterday.

MORIARTY’S MASTER PLAN UNLEASHED- cast and crew discuss the character, casting the role and wanting the role to be the character like Arthur Conan Doyle written him and not have it be an actor who played a Moriarty like character.

HOLMESAVISION ON STERIODS- how they made Holmeavision different for the sequel including how they decided to included Moriarty’s version of Holmesavision

 

A code to the Ultraviolet digital copy of the film is included too.  The Blu-ray/ DVD combo pack included a Maximum Movie Mode which has Robert Downy Jr. take people on a journey of making the movie that includes access to storyboards and various focus point featurettes.

 

FINAL ANALYS:   SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS gets better on a second viewing even though I still think the first film is better.  The extras on the single Blu-ray disc release are a little scant where they save more of the extras for the combo pack. 

This review is (c)6-16-2012 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com