“More of the same, which is exactly what everyone wants.”
The original Sherlock Holmes was s surprisingly entertaining ride. With the distinct visual style of Guy Ritchie behind the most charismatic man in Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes was a stunning piece of intellectual eye candy. Holmes, in the hands of Downey, was perfectly crafted and updated for a modern audience.
Holmes's unique methods were not laboring accounts of recollection at a desk, but a kinetic sparring of verbal and physical adventures. Once again, Ritchie brought these scenes to life with a dirty palette of grain and weathered filters, complete with striking visual effects to emphasize and heighten any and every explosion on-screen.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows takes everything that worked in the first installment one step further and provides and more cohesive and polished effort. It's obvious that Ritchie and company finally understand exactly what the audience wants from Sherlock Holmes, and they deliver.
Holmes's sparring partner this time around, Professor Moriarty, is positioned as an intellectual equal to Holmes. Whereas Mark Strong's "magic" in the first adventure for the duo of Holmes and Watson challenged Holmes's ability to stay with his methods, it's his ability to exercise his methods that Moriarty challenges. Speaking of Watson, Holmes is continually forced to thrust Watson back into the web of Moriarty, helping to establish and grow their unique friendship (or bromance, it's appropriate).
Jude Law's Watson is once again second fiddle to the sheer brilliance of Holmes, but A Game of Shadows manages to insert Watson as much more yin to Watson's yang, succeeding in far more areas than the first did. Even Watson grows as a character, having to be called upon much more than Holmes would dare want to admit. This interplay in the narrative is strengthened and heightened in A Game of Shadows, to the betterment of the characters and film as a whole.
Moriarty's plans are as intricate and complex as possible. Avoiding any spoilers, world domination is his game, through a complicated web of bombings, murders, and political positioning. It's a simple enough scheme, one laid out as "good vs. bad", effective in producing classic Holmes moments as he battles his way through Moriarty's maze of mayhem.
While A Game of Shadows maintains the feel and spark of the original Sherlock Holmes, the refinement in the characters is a welcome addition. While the gags are the same, Sherlock Holmes is a formula that works. If it ain't broke... The issues with the formula is the ceiling.
Sherlock Holmes, in the hands of Downey and Ritchie, is an entertaining and visually stimulating experience, generally devoid of any jarring or surprising moments. The success of A Game of Shadows has much to do with its predictability; the audiences' ability to enjoy the ride along the outlined tracks. With that formula, Sherlock Holmes isn't going to stimulate any deeper emotions than that similar to a roller coaster. It's fun because it's supposed to be safe, it's enjoyable because everyone knows where it will go.
Sherlock Holmes isn't going to stimulate any deeper emotions than that similar to a roller coaster. It's fun because it's supposed to be safe, it's enjoyable because everyone knows where it will go.
Under the intended framework, Sherlock Holmes only succeeds on the ability for Downey to be irresistibly charming while those around him manage to convey the ability for such a self-centered, arrogant, but brilliant man to be redeemable in the eyes of the audience. As mentioned, carefully constructed scenes with Watson help to keep the audience engaged past the parlor tricks and surface level thrills.
For some, the potential challenge of an intellectual equal could prove to be slightly detrimental to the idea of who Sherlock Holmes is as an entertaining, yet static character. A Game fo Shadows attempts to move the needle and create characters that don't necessarily change, but can at least progress on an emotional level. It's a worthy attempt, but one that could undercut the power and character of Holmes for them, a minor but unintended possible backlash to some fans of the original.
Overall
A Game of Shadows is tight, focused, and more homogenous than the previous outing. Guy Ritchie's trademark camera-work is perfectly suited to tell the story of Sherlock Holmes, and hopefully for another installment. In short, fans of the original should check out Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows in theaters for another dose of the iconic, updated detective and his unorthodox methods.
On the Side
Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo [Swedish Version]) makes her debut to most Americans in a small, but effective role. Rapace deserves the chance to make a splash stateside, giving an actual performance to a gypsy character used as a "means to an end" plot device. If not for her chops and authenticity, the role would have felt forced and stuck out.
