Admittedly, I am a massive Sherlock Holmes fan. In many ways one could say that Sherlock was the world's first Batman. Sure he didn't kick as much ass as the Dark Knight, but it was implied that he could.
The 2009 Sherlock Holmes movie took care of this little problem and made the implication the actual action of the story. Some Sherlock fans had a problem with this, I absolutely did not and loved the Hell out of the first movie and awaited with bated breath for the next installment in the possible franchise.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a great movie and a fantastic sequel. Right off the bat I can tell you that it's not AS good as the first installment but it's still a lot of fun. In some ways it actually contains elements that make it a stronger movie than the first but likewise there are some elements that make it weaker.
The film opens up with Sherlock highly involved in his attempts to stop Moriarty from whatever Moriarty is doing because while Holmes might have a good idea about it, he isn't sharing anything with us (or Watson) until later on. Watson is about to become a husband to his fiance' Mary, which makes him the perfect target and Holmes' ultimate weakness. A weakness that Moriarty is only too quick to exploit.
Won't go into any more detail than that because it's just not needed. Plus these movies are basically action-mysteries. Go in blind and try to solve everything on your own. Good luck with that.
A paragraph or two above I mentioned elements that made this movie stronger than the first. Well the best part of the movie is undoubtedly the inclusion of Professor James Moriarty (Sherlock's arch-nemesis) as the main villain. He's played by Jared Harris who you've seen in other stuff but are most likely unfamiliar with his name. That's okay. Who needs star power when you can have a brilliant actor instead? Harris plays Moriarty pitch perfect, elegant and witty when necessary and yet vicious and brutal when the gloves come off. That's the relationship Moriarty has with Holmes. They are each other's equals in almost every way but yet a paradigm of differences in terms of morality, justice, and psychology. So they often treat each other with vast respect. Yet Moriarty is a sociopath, so when the time to attack comes and the monster comes out, Harris is surprisingly effective and almost terrifying. There's a Hannibal Lecter quality to his performance.
The various weaknesses of the film are the kryptonite fragments of any sequel. Too many new characters that aren't as interesting as the main/original ones, the movie is a tad too long, and the story is a bit unfocused. Alone, any one of these points is a nitpick. However, together they become a problem.
For my part, they're still just nitpicks but I could see how other critics would not be able to get over them. The main problem for me with A Game of Shadows is that while the first installment gloriously recreated Victorian London and relished dwelling in that rich and interesting world, the sequel throws off the main lines and casts itself off into all manner of places in Europe. There's nothing wrong with Europe, it's just that the world that was created within the first movie was so captivating by itself, why do we need to leave it? Maybe now I'm nitpicking, but I don't think so. I think this is one of the reasons the story was so unfocused. It's like I can hear the screenwriter in my head at times chanting, "we need to get to the next location!"
Still, none of this is a deal breaker. A Game of Shadows is still a great movie with great performances and stellar chemistry from Downey Jr. and Law. You never have any trouble believing that these guys are the best of friends and truly love each other. Personally, I think they both do some of their best work within these movies.
That's why now if you'll excuse me, I have to go wait for the next installment!
8 / 10
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