Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows

aelynn000

Saw it at an advance screening last night and oh, man!

SO MUCH FUN.

I remember I enjoyed the first, but don't remember much about it...which says enough.

This one was packed with action, done in very creative and stylish ways, and overflowing with wit and humour. It's been a long time since I've sat in a theatre that laughed that much ( that includes at actual comedy movies ).

Though the plot was thin, it was never boring and ALWAYS fun.

Moriarty, I felt was slightly underused... I mean, he had a lot of screentime and was terrifying enough in his subtle ways...so wait, no, maybe it was just right. Any more might've been overkill. But yeah, a normal, real villain who was portrayed as a simple ( but complex ) human to be feared and executed extremely well.

The relationship between Holmes and Watson is possibly one of the best on screen bromances that has ever been and the interaction between RDJ and Jude Law is just so natural and fun, they're a pleasure to watch together.

I'm sure that many will have other words to say about Downey's portrayal of an eccentric, over-the-top, sometimes almost Jack Sparrow-like Holmes, but he keeps the movie going with such momentum that he's the kind of character who seems real enough to be jealous of his awesomeness. Like Depp's Sparrow, you can tell how much fun he has in the role and it's enlightening to watch and have him have his success as a character he enjoys so much.

The only thing that threw it off a little bit was the ending which was INCREDIBLY far fetched...but ended up being just as much fun as the rest of the movie and a perfect opportunity to lead into another film of what I think has become one of my favourite franchises.

4/5 DEFINITELY worth seeing! Even with little to no background on Holmes or having seen the first or not, I'd still recommend it for the absurd amount of fun that it is.

JPolacchi

I'm really looking forward to seeing it.The first one was a blast!

nickytea

Blame Arthur Conan Doyle.

aelynn000

I was hoping you'd chime in here. I know you're a fan of Sherlock stuff! What did you think?

Without going into too much detail, was the showdown between Sherlock and Moriarty similar to how it was written? If so, I'm guessing it didn't have the happier twist at the end... or did it? Or did you mean that's just how his writing style was with far fetched happenings?

MooCriket

Sweet! My wife and I are very much looking forward to seeing this.

nickytea

I won't talk any more about the ending for the benefit of everyone that has not seen it yet, but as for the movie, I really enjoyed it. As a fan of the first film, and as a fan of the character, I was not disappointed.

I really feel like I need to see it again though before I attempt to remark in any detail. There's a lot going on in the movie, but at first glance, I feel as though it gave me more of just about everything I dug about the experience of the first movie. More is not necessarily better, but in this case, it played very naturally.

Jedi2016

Hoping I get to see this one this weekend.

CutThumb

Went to see this yesterday and I absolutely agree with everything Aelynee posted, this is great,great fun! It tries a little too hard at the beginning and really stretches your very willing suspension of belief at times but it really belts along and is surprisingly faithful to the Holmes cannon, with a couple of fresh characters and locations you'll warmly recognise from the novels.
Very,very action orientated ,cleverly stylized and so tongue in cheek it can taste its own tonsils it never flags for a minute and the dialogue between the characters crackles with wit and interest, particularly that of Holmes and Watson and Stephen Frys Mycroft (though I could have done without the one particularly "revealing" scene, funny as it was!).
I can forgive Guy Richie alot since he has done the Holmes films as he really has brought all the gezzer energy and humour from Lock,Stock and injected it here, but he couldn't have managed it without Downeys manic Holmes and Laws bulldog Watson. They obviously had a blast (literally) many times doing this film and the relationship carries the heart of the film on its frantic journey around Europe.
The cinema was packed and everyone loved it. Been a while since I heard that kind of fond laughter people have for whats going on on the screen. If you want a great film this Xmas which will let you leave in a very good mood after being thoroughly entertained, this one is it.

Shadow345

Good to hear. I enjoyed the first one a lot so I will be off to see this.

JasonCash

My girlfriend and I saw it last night, aside from the 3 enormous women behind us talking through the entire movie we had a great time

TKRalph

Did The Avengers trailer show before the movie?

Jeyl

I saw it and enjoyed but, but...

BlackMarketMagi

I saw it a week ago at a press screening and enjoyed it as well, longer than I thought it would be. Of course the whole time looking for the cool new prop items from the movie of which I'd say there is two... Stephen Fry's steampunk looking "personal **" and Moriartys red journal. (I was lucky to snag one of the replica journals as well)

TheDoctor

I enjoyed it, but there were two things I have to nitpick:

1) The story was a little TOO epic. Too much was at stake - it almost felt like it should have been spread over the course of three movies (which is part of why the ending felt a little underwhelming - we didn't get to know Moriarty enough - I felt there wasn't enough transition from 'guy in the shadows' to the reveal to the end).

2) Homes was too 'on' in this movie. In the first movie, he made mistakes and actually needed the help of his friends. Watson was a pretty secondary character.

Wolfie138

i loved the first one so i'm looking forward to this - will have to will till it's a DVD purchase tho :-/

re the first one, is there any extended/different scenes as extas on the Bluray? i saw a trailer that had better (ie, in her undies!) shots of the delectable Rachael when she drugs SH in the hotel room, but the film cut is entirely different.

benhs1898

He did use Watson's help.



I liked this movie. I liked it much more than the first.

Beeb89

Very well written and exactly how my wife and I felt the whole time! To me it was one of those rare sequels that was just as good if not better than the first. We chucked about scenes and lines well after we left the theater. My wife and I both have always been RDJr & JL fans from way back... and putting them together we agreed was genius!

-B89!

Rebabaluba

Watched it today and thought it was great! Definitely going to watch it again.