The witty gentlemen are back! Two years since the first film, the mystery solving tag-team of Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) & Dr. Watson (Jude Law) return to the big screen with a new sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The sequel brings back our favourite detective who is pitted against a skillful & formidable new opponent in the form of Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), who is intellectually Holmes’ equal but far more sinister and powerful. Having just completed the wedding ceremony with Mary (Kelly Reilly), Dr. Watson returns to the side of Holmes to fight this new profound evil, joined by a new ally in the form of a gypsy woman Simza “Sim” Heron (Noomi Rapace) & her comrades. Another much awaited introduction is that of Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry), the socially & politically savvy brother. Together, they go against the full force of Moriarty & his intention to disrupt the balance of society. For those still scratching your head thinking I forgot someone: yes, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) does bring her beautiful self back in this sequel!
When Guy Ritchie brought out Sherlock Holmes back in 2009, he created a new perspective by which to look at the detective, creating a character to which we observe on screen as pure genius. A Game of Shadows does not fail to provide that experience. From the slow motion thinking-process to Holmes’ habit of detailed observations, Ritchie puts together the characteristics that made us love his version of Holmes in the first place: witty but with a hawk-like mind. Robert Downey Jr. does an exceptional job in reprising his role as Holmes, blending a mix of uncanny thinking abilities and emotional moments, something we didn’t see much of in the first film. Jude Law, by the same token, does not disappoint in reprising his role as Dr. John Watson, bringing the same “down-to-earth-but-smart” flare that we have become accustomed to. What both actors have definitely done is given their characters sophistication, accomplished with blending new characteristics, which makes the whole movie experience quite refreshing. It provides multiple different moments in the film, particularly ones of personal emotion, that were missing from the first film. Noomi Rapace & Stephen Fry do an amazing job portraying their characters Sim & Mycroft respectively. Their characters compliment the heroic duo throughout the film; however, seeing more of Mycroft would have been nice, considering his relationship with Sherlock.
The one area the film does lag a little bit in is the overall flow of the scenes. The 2009 film brought together the magic of a riveting story and amazing movie cinematics to make that all work. The sequel brings forward better cinematics if anything but rather a disrupted story flow. It is slightly difficult to keep up with new developments as they come about in the film, with transitions being a little annoying. With that said however, the base story if fantastic! If you are patient & pay attention, the film is quite a rewarding experience. Having a stronger story flow would have made the movie absolutely amazing and would have enhanced the performances that both Downey Jr. & Law contributed. The dynamic-duo excitement they brought in the first film very much exists in the sequel, if not better. Where the first was literally hero and sidekick, the sequel brings more the brotherly bond which makes the story more interesting.
This is a must-see movie during the holidays. With the amazing action sequences (better than the first by the way!), mind boggling mind games and fantastic humor, this film will provide an absolutely amazing movie experience. The film is released by Warner Bros. and shall be in Theater’s across Canada on December 16th.
