Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

           Having never read any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories myself, it's hard for me to cast any sort of judgement of comparison between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation and Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal. Though I believe it is safe to say the two don't add up to closely, and the same can probably go for the original stories and the movies. However, with such an iconic character as Holmes, to continue to retell and/or create new stories about him means people must be willing to change and adapt the character so it can seem fresh and new. Plus, the audience must be willing to accept this as well. The BBC did this just this past year with a mini series that placed Holmes as a detective in today's world and not the 1800s. This was a fresh new look and I'm glad to say that Director Guy Ritchie's version, though still in the 1800s, is still just as fun and fresh as the one we watched two years ago.
            Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows kicks off pretty much where we left off when the first one ended. Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) is finished helping Holmes solve cases as he is preparing to marry his fiance Mary. Holmes is as eccentric as ever as he's working on a new case. A case that if not solved could lead to the outbreak of World War I, only 25 years ahead of time. Holmes suspects well renowned Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris of Mad Men) to be behind all of it, which naturally no one else can seem to believe as it looks implausible. Of course Holmes doesn't take no for an answer, and sets out to stop Moriarty. Along the way he tricks Watson in to doing this one last case with him, all the while picking up the help of a gypsy woman named Madam Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace, who you might recognize as Lisbeth Salander from the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), whose brother seems to be mixed up in the situation. Unlike in the first movie which stayed in London, this story takes the trio outside of England into France, Germany, and Switzerland as they race against time to try and prevent the outbreak of war.
            A Game of Shadows is nothing short of what you should expect from the Holmes sequel. With Guy Ritchie at the helm again as director you get the same kind of style, camera work and story telling that we received from the first one, as well as many of his other movies. For example, the great decision making on when to use his patented sudden slow motion in the middle of an action sequence that then quickly speeds up to the high speed action it was just in. The writers do a good job of keeping the personalities of the Holmes and Watson portrayed in the first movie the same, and thus allowing the back and forth done by Downey and Law to do most of the comedic work.
            Law is great again as Watson, the upper class doctor, but with an itch for danger and adventure that he just has a hard time staying away from, especially with Holmes around. Enough can't be said however about Downey's portrayal of Holmes. Yes, he's eccentric and self centered, but he's also hilarious and a bit of a bad ass as he is able to fight. Not many, if any other versions of Holmes go around having to fight their way out of jams when solving cases.
            Plenty of people reprise their roles from the first film in this installment, though most in a limited capacity. One such being Rachel McAdams' character Irene Adler whom sadly isn't seen enough. But that's just the way of the story and thus does no harm to the movie. In this film we also meet Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother, who is played by Stephen Fry (Known more for his voice work such as the Cheshire Cat in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland).
            Overall, this movie had a lot of the same elements that were fun and enjoyable in the first movie. Thankfully, they didn't rely on just this as the plot was new and clever on its own and would have made for just as an enjoyable movie if it was the first one and not a sequel. Plus, as far as I'm concerned whenever you can go into a sequel and its just as good as the first, then you have a winner.
             I give this movie 3 out of 4 stars and a thumbs up. This movie is still out in theaters now and I recommend you go see it there as it's probably one of the few out there worth spending ten dollars on. With the action and quality you can't go wrong. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  Sorry for being out of the loop the last couple months. It's just been pretty crazy plus didn't really have much to review. Anyways, my next movie will be One Day, based on the book of the same name, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.