by Jennifer Bay, Editor

There is very little I don’t love about Robert Downey, Jr. or Jude Law.  Regardless of the negativity both have had in the public eye, I think they’re both incredibly attractive and both generally choose great roles for themselves .  Put them together in a series based on one of my favorite novel characters ever and I’m sold.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is the much anticipated sequel to the popular Sherlock Holmes, released in 2009.  Guy Ritchie lends his quirky talent again to update the series and to be honest, not everyone’s a fan.  Some feel the storylines, especially in this film, are somewhat frantic and muddled, not entirely clear in the purpose.  And it is.  A couple of times, I found myself thinking, “Well, what’s the point, then?”  It can be hard to keep up with what’s happening, or even what the reasoning is.  Some characters felt entirely unnecesary to me.

I do, however, enjoy movies that don’t make everything obvious – these films force you to deduce yourself what’s going on, and if you’re anything like me, try to do so before the character dialogue catches up to your thought process.  It’s a bit of a game, really.  Of course, like I said, there are parts that I still wonder why they were included at all, but they didn’t make the acting, cinematography or soundtrack less enjoyable.

In the first film, we saw Holmes as the unrivaled intellectual.  Watson is brilliant, of course, and the rock to Holmes’s insanity, but we all wish we could see things the way Sherlock does.  In A Game of Shadows, he has two others fighting for the title of “most brilliant”.  As we learn at the end of the first film, Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris – Mad Men, Fringe) is the ultimate baddie and he proves it.  This is one soulless ginger, to be sure!  It’s so entertaining to watch how his thoughts and actions counter Holmes.  Also a delightful addition is Stephen Fry (Bones, A Bit of Fry and Laurie) as Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s brother.  Both men are in the books, and I loved watching how Mycroft interacted with people – about as oblivious as Sherlock, and with even less class.  Must run in the family.

I will not throw any spoilers in here, but I will tell you that the fantastic cinematography and quick dialogue remain, and although there may be a little less story this time, any fan of the first film should love this one.  Sequels are hard to get right, and I think Ritchie did just fine – the beautifully shot escape scene to the train is, in itself, worth it.

ComicsOnline gives Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 4 out of 5 bullet holes.

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