REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

A word before the review; I really liked Guy Ritchie's 2009 version of Sherlock Holmes.  Word was the character was very faithful to his literary counterpart, and Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law had some great chemistry on screen, oddly reminiscent of Riggs an Murtaugh.  Some dodgy special effects aside, it was a damn good time.

Since it was a hit, the studio fast-tracked a sequel.  This is usually not good news as it is merely a way to cash in on the success of the first film while making each progressive film in the series worse.  Does SH:AGOS follow this dreaded trend or does it exceed my pessimistic expectations?

The Good

• Three words: Professor James Moriarty.  Jared Harris plays what is arguably the greatest villain in literary history with just the right touches of pretense, joy and douche-baggery.  By no means does he chew the scenery, he's just damn good.  Doesn't hue to be written well either.
• Law and Downey Jr. haven't missed a beat.  Watson and Holmes are as fun to watch as they were two years ago, even more so now that Watson finally ties the knot and Holmes is forced to deal with it.  Actually, one of the funniest moments is when Holmes throws Watson a stag party with no guests, afraid to admit that he actually forgot about the whole thing.
• We see the addition of Holmes's brother Mycroft, an eccentric politician with a major case of germaphobia and OCD.  He's played by Stephen Fry, so it's obvious that it's a great character!
• Gone are the so-so CGI effects from the first movie.  Ritchie stages some fantastic action scenes in this movie, many of them rivaling any I've seen all year (yes, I'm looking at you Ghost Protocol).  There is a chase through the woods involving Holmes, Watson, gypsies, and some heavy artillery that is mind-blowing, and it is only enhanced by Ritchie's unique style of direction.  REALLY good stuff!
• I'm not one to pump up Hans Zimmer, but his score for this film is simply fantastic.  Very different than what you'd expect in a film like this.

The Bad

• There are some quirky moments that don't quite jive with the rest of the film, but they are almost unnoticeable because of the amount of great things happening.
• I loved seeing Noomi Rapace as a gypsy desperately looking for her brother, but the character was dull and did not have much to do but look introspective.  A real shame.

Overall, I was floored by how awesome this movie was.  It easily lives up to the first film, and stood out to me as one of the best action films of the year, even surpassing Ghost Protocol.  I highly recommend it!

Rating- 8/10

Next up, a review of the recently branded best picture nominee Moneyball.  See you soon!