![]() The main issue really is that it just doesn’t feel like it is doing anything that different, or that it’s in any way moved on from the first film. It’s just a shame that some of those main problems with the first movie haven’t been rectified. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a good, solid film, and a lot of fun to watch. What could have been a simple chase becomes something really interesting to watch, and gives the last act of the movie a sense of momentum as it draws to its conclusion. There’s an impressive sequence as the main trio of Downey Junior, Law and Rapace are fleeing an arms factory towards the end of the film, which certainly allows Guy Ritchie to showcase his flair behind the camera. This, in turn, gives the final act of the film a nice even pace, and you have soon forgotten about the haphazard chases and fighting from the previous hour. The historical references to the growing political conflict in Europe at the time, make for an interesting backdrop and allow the main action to take place over a variety of settings. ![]() A small glimmer of wit and tenacity from her in the first act of the film is soon replaced by the formulaic approach of ‘you wait outside’ while the main double act of Holmes and Watson get to have all the fun without her. The part feels like it could have been played by anyone. The disappointment really is that Noomi Rapace, as the fortune teller and subsequent sidekick, Sim, doesn’t have anywhere near enough to do. Some of his scenes contain more gratuitous gags that don’t really do Fry’s brand of intelligent and subtle humour justice. Stephen Fry acts as an element of more traditional comic relief as Holmes’ older brother Mycroft, although at times he feels a little underused. It certainly feels like they are working more as a double act than a tutor and student, an inequality that I think was present in the first film. ![]() Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson respectively have really developed as a pairing, and you get the sense that there truly is a deep friendship and level of understanding and respect between them, that you want to be a part of. In fact, the performances of all the main cast are great pretty much throughout. There is a sense of calm and concentration as the pair are simply indulging the audience in an acting masterclass, and it serves as a very welcome relief from the overblown nature of the opening scenes. And some of the best scenes in the film are when Harris and Downey Jr are pitching against each other in a battle of wit and cunning. ![]() Harris plays Professor Moriarty, a criminal mastermind who is, of course, the arch nemesis of Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes. Within the first act of the film however, you become aware of a shining beacon of hope, and it is shaped in the form of Jared Harris. As the opening credits finally began, I was already feeling pretty let down. The action only subsides momentarily for some of the most awkward and needlessly exaggerated comedy acting I have seen in a long while. We are treated to a small piece of exposition in a voice over from Dr Watson (Jude Law), before a sudden launch into a ludicrous fight sequence that has a needless slow motion build up, before hurtling into the same stomach churning, accelerated editing and overblown choreography.
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