Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes 2 Review

The newest addition to the Sherlock Holmes Franchise—“A game of Shadows”—starring Robert Downey Jnr and Jude law manages to give new life to a set of characters and stories which have been (like so many of their subjects) ‘Done to death’ in recent years—(forgive the appalling pun).

Like its predecessor, the film is slap-sticky and over-stuffed with fight-scenes. Here again Holmes is pitted against a nefarious criminal master-mind—this time professor one professor Moriarty (an academic-cum-arms-dealer determined to bring about World War 1 before the turn of the 20th century)—in a game of wits and firepower.

For anyone looking for serious, intellectual viewing, seeing this film would be an exercise in pointlessness But for good old-fashioned fun, this film is hard to beat. Yes it’s silly—at times uprouariously so but it remains remarkably un-pretentious or self-conscious.

Both the leads  deliver strong performances. Robert Downey Jnr is hilarious as the self-centred, slightly camp, loutish Holmes with an obsession for detail and conspiracy theories, who has the irritating habit of previewing every fight scene to its conclusion in his head first. Jude Law’s Watson as the ‘straight man’ of the two (in more ways than one) alternates between enthusiastic admiration for his buddy’s antics and the sheer irritation/ despair of a man who has had his honeymoon disrupted and his new bride throne off a (very high) bridge by his best friend.

Stephen Fry, too, does a fine job as the aristocratic Mycroft—Holmes well connected brother, with an amusing predilection for nudism. Although the women of the film play very limited roles

(the very sexy steven fry... Cough cough)

Yes, it’s over the top, yes at times it’s stereotypical but I confess to being  unable to predict the film’s final twist. For laugh-out loud viewing, and light weight fiction Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows certainly delivers

Cleftlipkid: I would just like to thank Nsharp8 for her review. She may become the main movie reviewer at LGN. Thanks again Nsharp, I owe you one :p