Plot: Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Watson investigate the nefarious Professor Moriarty, whose scheme threatens the world as they know it.

Review:

I was glad to hear that there would be a sequel to "Sherlock Holmes (2009)", a film that greatly entertained me but was marred by imperfections. It's strengths came in the form of Robert Downy Jr. and Jude Law, who played their roles with gusto. Their interactions were fun and together, they carried the picture. Guy Ritchie deserved praise simply for focusing on them and not distracting us too much from them. On the other hand, I found the plot to be rather bland and the villain to be even blander (despite being played by the great Mark Strong). It never felt like the baddie was a genuine threat to our hero and that cheapened the proceedings. Finally, the CGI sets were very distracting, looking way too much like...well, CGI sets. These flaws didn't stop the movie from being good, but they did keep it from being great. I hoped that a sequel would retain its strengths, while fixing up its weaknesses. I felt "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" was that sequel, but many other reviewers haven't agreed with me. So consider everything I say, because there won't be anything absolute about it.

Dr. Watson (Jude Law) is getting married and he goes to visit his old friend Sherlock Homes (Robert Downy Jr), the brilliant but eccentric, private investigator. He discovers that Holmes has become deeply involved in a case involving Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), a criminal mastermind whose intelligence might even be greater than Holmes'. Unfortunately, Watson is now a target due to his association with Holmes and finds himself dragged into another mystery. They investigate this criminal, who may have been involved in bombings both in France and Germany. To do this, they need the help of Simza (Noomi Rapace), a French gypsy whose brother has gotten involved with the professor. Can Holmes bring the villain down? Or is it the end for our lovable hero?

First off, you need to ask yourself whether or not you liked the 2009 film. If you dismissed it because it was just excessive action, then I don't think you'll like this sequel. It's possible you might find it a little more tolerable, but the format is pretty much the same. Holmes and Watson bicker, which provides the bulk of the comedy, and they constantly fight people. I found it to be just as funny and energetic as the first film. I liked the witty dialogue and the breezy pace, but if none of that ever did anything for you before, it won't do much for you now. But if you did like all of that, the film is hilarious and has some 'bigger' action sequences. I think my only major problem with it was the 'race to the train' sequence, which you see a lot of in the trailers. It's heavily over-directed, whoring slow motion while moving the camera around excessively, being a bit too chaotic. That one scene annoyed me, but the rest of the action was exhilarating. I especially liked the early fight between Holmes and the assassin sent to kill Sim. It was surprisingly well choreographed.

So "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" has the same strengths as its predecessor. But what about weaknesses? I was pleased that the sets no longer looked CGI. I'm sure much of it was CGI, but it was polished enough to look realistic, which ironically means it didn't look too polished (as was the case with the original). The backgrounds often look run down and grimy, which is closer to what I wanted. I also liked how a lot of this movie takes place at night. For some reason, when I think of Sherlock Holmes, I think 'night'. There's something more mysterious about the night, while daylight is just boring. In terms of script, the plot is tightened and far more compelling. It's not as detailed as the short stories, but there are less cop-outs compared to the first film. But the films films biggest improvement over the first came in the form of our villain. Despite being an iconic villain, Professor Moriarty only appeared in one short story, but even then there was something epic about him. Here, you feel that he can indeed be the man to bring Sherlock Holmes down. This is what I didn't like about the previous villain. I never felt he had a chance, but Moriarty seems like he's constantly a step ahead of Holmes. Jared Harris nailed the role too, conveying intelligence and when he wants to, sheer menace. The scenes between Moriarty and Holmes are golden, especially their finale.

That's really all I have to say. I watched the film with my Father, and he found it to be somewhat disappointing. He thought the action was too extreme, and the slow parts too slow. So nothing I say is objective truth, but this film was the 2009 film except without any of the problems "I" had with that film. I thought it was funny, exciting, interesting and at times dramatically moving. I was completely into it and felt it was one of my favorite movies of 2011, which doesn't say much because 2011 sucked. There are other interesting aspects, such as the casting of Noomi Rapace as the new female lead. She's known for starring in the original "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", and she does great. There are also plenty of allusions to the old short stories, which is nice, especially with the 'ending'. There's even a surprise 'death' that I didn't see coming (although I don't like how by the end of the movie, the death is practically forgotten). I was fully into this movie, but with the mixed reception by critics, obviously not everyone was.

Violence: PG-13 worthy. Some nasty moments.

Nudity: None. In fact, I think there's even less sexuality this time around.

Overall: I thought "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" was an improvement over the already good original. If you liked the 2009 film, then watch this for sure!

3.5/4 Stars