Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Published May 21, 2012
Film info
- Title Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
- Director Guy Ritchie
- Year 2011
- Run time 2hrs 9m
- Genres Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Action
- Tagline The game is afoot
While vying with Watson's soon-to-be wife for the Doctor's time and attention, the detective extraordinaire matches wits with his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty, a criminal genius who's conspiring to make a fortune by manufacturing the next generation of wartime weaponry that the world's great powers will be forced to use against one another... once Moriarty succeeds in provoking World War I, of course. Joining the dynamic duo on their adventure is a feisty gypsy and Sherlock's craftier but crazier older brother Mycroft.
Live Blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 0:46 | Ooh, ye olde typewriter. |
| 1:17 | I wonder why those people that yell the newspaper headlines to sell them went away. |
| 5:08 | Pretty impressive choreography. |
| 9:00 | Sitting down to tea without knowing who you are talking to is very odd. |
| 12:28 | He’s turned his room into a jungle! |
| 14:58 | “You’ve lost a few pounds.” “Yes, and you’ve picked them up.” |
| 15:50 | Moriarty! |
| 18:37 | “It’s so overt, it’s covert.” |
| 19:57 | I forgot Stephen Fry is in this! Nice surprise. |
| 28:24 | She ruined the omelette! |
| 33:16 | Being woken up by bagpipes when you’ve got a hangover must actually be the worst thing ever. |
| 36:13 | Is an inscription what they called it in those days? Not a book-signing, an inscription event. |
| 41:24 | Lovely steam train. |
| 42:52 | “I agree it’s not my best disguise…” |
| 46:41 | I love these trains with carriages, so private. Except when Sherlock is on board the train, of course. |
| 49:05 | “You mean there’s two of you? How marvellous.” |
| 52:30 | He’s doing an inscription event! |
| 58:23 | Tomb Raider butler! |
| 1:02:20 | He is like a French Brad Pitt, same mannerisms and everything. |
| 1:05:40 | This time period has some epic moustaches. |
| 1:13:41 | He gave the scarf away! |
| 1:22:48 | I don’t think a warning that they can’t hear counts. Not that the bad guy cares about that. |
| 1:27:46 | “You didn’t find me, you collapsed a building on me.” |
| 1:28:00 | How is it daylight now? |
| 1:29:44 | Some little snippets for the 3D people. |
| 1:38:53 | I want my own personal castle in the mountains with a giant waterfall coming out of it. |
| 1:48:33 | That identity parade bit was absolutely captivating. |
| 1:52:02 | My god, they are playing without moving the actual pieces. |
| 1:58:09 | He played the game for the game’s own sake. |
Conclusions
I enjoyed the first movie, loved the relationship between the two main characters, but I made a point of saying that if there was a sequel made, it was going to need more of a story to it. I wasn’t 100% sure after seeing the trailer, the idea of him dressing up as a woman seemed slightly desperate. But, I have long since learned not to judge things on the trailer alone.
Interestingly, I think this film had exactly the opposite problem of the first. The story was great - I thought it got off to a bit of a slow start, didn’t really need the Irene Adler bit, but once it was going, it was fantastic. The stuff on the train was epic, and the ending was genius. Sadly, it felt like there was less time to explore the relationship between the two, with just fun bits and pieces here and there - the wedding and, again, the train being two that spring to mind.
One thing this film suffered from that the previous one did not, is 3D-over-the-top-craziness. I have zero interest in watching movies in 3D, and it must be hard to cater for both the 2 and 3D market. In this film, though, the footage created to indulge those watching in 3D was just ridiculous. Slowed down, Matrix-style, with bullets ricocheting through trees, and flecks of debris flying through the air, it just looked silly. Some of the shots were incredible and beautiful, but then it was overdone and ruined. (As an aside, does all 3D stuff have to be slowed down? Is it too fast to appreciate in realtime?)
So, a mixed review. A fun way to spend a couple of hours, no major complaints, the ending soothed a lot of the niggles, but still not quite as good as I’d hoped.
**Rating: **3/5
Rating: 3 / 5