Rating: PG-13
Sherlock Holmes 2 Trailer
I know a lot of people absolutely love these movies and to be honest I never saw the first one in theaters, mainly because a lot of critics didn't give it very good reviews. When I finally saw it, I felt like the first one was mediocre at best...I mean don't get me wrong, Robert Downey Jr. is simply fantastic in the role of Sherlock Holmes, but I found the storyline and special effects to be very mediocre. However, I put all my misgivings about the first movie behind me and went into the sequel with an open mind.
The Story:
The follow-up to the first movie pits Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) against his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty, played by Jared Harris. Sherlock joined by his sidekick Watson, played by Jude Law, travel around the world eventually meeting up with a band of revolutionary gypsies that will ultimately help them end the Moriarty's nefarious plot to start the first world war. To be honest there isn't much of a deep storyline here...there's a lot of action followed by Sherlock picking up on clues left behind by Moriarty, but it's still kind of a fun ride.
The Film:
To be honest as the film progressed, I was starting to get disappointed as I felt that this movie was pretty much going to be the same as the first one, with Sherlock Holmes quickly figuring things out as the movie progressed and then just explaining the entire plot of the movie at the very end. My main gripe with the first one is that I felt that Sherlock was never really challenged throughout the movie...he was pretty much ahead of the game and then he revealed how he was a step ahead at the very end of the movie, leaving nothing for the viewer to figure out or piece together. What's different in this film, is the fact that Moriarty actually challenges Sherlock and forces him to make mistakes. These mistakes actually are very costly to the Sherlock posse, innocent bystanders, and powerful politicians; ultimately leading to death and serious injury (even to the main characters themselves). The other aspect of the first movie that I liked was also present in the sequel, where Sherlock would dismantle his opponents in his mind prior to actually taking them down. This did leave to a pretty cool and somewhat shocking ending to the movie, but I felt like this was a bit overused. I think Guy Ritchie could have done this a bit more sparingly, saving these mental take-downs for more challenging opponents. I will say that there is a lot more action in this film, epitomized by a scene in which multiple enemies are firing artillery shells at our protagonists as they flee towards a speeding train.
The Dialogue:
As usual in any Guy Ritchie film, the dialogue is fantastic. It's reminiscent of a lot of his earlier films like Snatch or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (if you haven't seen these, you should rent them!). My favorite scenes involved either of the three main characters (Sherlock, Moriarty, and Watson) bantering back and forth in very witty, intelligent and humorous conversation. I'm kind of a sucker for really good dialogue, which is why I enjoy Quentin Tarantino films..."You know what the call a quarter pounder with cheese in Paris? A royale with cheese..." Anyway, this movie has some pretty god damn good dialogue, so I do recommend it from that perspective.
The Acting:
I hate Jude Law...I'm not going to beat around the bush about this one. I really haven't really enjoyed any of the movies that he's been in save Gattaca. It might be because he used to do a crap ton of rom coms or because of the fact that he cheated on Sienna Miller with a nanny...seriously dude, come on?! I will, however, admit that he wasn't bad in this movie, particularly the scene where he gets drunk before his wedding. Also, what can I say about Robert Downey Jr., other than the fact that I'm starting to believe that he's a mix between Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Sherlock Holmes in real life: making him one of the coolest people ever. Downey steals the show and plays the quirky Holmes to a T as well as delivers his dialogue with the utmost perfection. The one thing that bothered me a bit about the film is Moriarty. Overall I felt that Jared Harris did a good job, but I felt that there were other actors probably better suited to play this role. I actually thought that someone like Edward Norton would have done a fantastic job as Moriarty. I mean Moriarty is supposed to be able to challenge Holmes in every aspect of his game, which means both physically and mentally. I didn't find Harris' Moriarty that intimidating, especially towards the end when Sherlock starts to gain a clear upper hand.
Overall Rating:
Overall, I have to say that this movie is definitely an improvement to the first installment, but still could use some work especially considering the directing and acting recipe that is in these movies.
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