Movies: Sherlock Holmes 2 : Game of Shadows

Movies: Sherlock Holmes 2 : Game of Shadows

Hello everybody, it has been quite a while since i reviewed something, but never fear, i am back again this time with the latest blockbuster movie of probably the year 2011.

Yep, it is Sherlock Holmes again, with Robert Downey Jr. who i believe also acts as Ironman. However, unlike his marvel counterpart, Sherlock Holmes is meant to be more of a thinking action show, and differs from normal action movie in that it does strive and show that it is striving to be a show where the plot highlights not just the brawns but also the brains of the main character and even the villain.

When I say highlights the brain of the villain, it is unlike many other shows whereby the villain is supposed to be smart, but only in the technological sense i.e. Mad Scientists. This show's villain is slightly more like the Joker in Batman, whereby they highlight the strategic sense and planning of both the hero and the villain.

Anyway without further ado, here is the review of the show.

Plot


With regards to the plot, as i said earlier, this show prides itself on being more thinking based and showing the thinking process as compared to other action shows. That being said however, this show still has its fair amount of action in a level that is comparable to even some of the recent action flicks.

See? They are running from something and are all dirty and rugged. There must have been action.

However, a sad point to note was that the initial part of the movie was really dry and hard to relate to cause it was setting the stage for the show but was really talking about the wedding of Watson. I will explain what was the problem with the Watson part in the character section. I admit i did fall asleep at that stage of the show as it was really really pretty slow. I am sure that part was trying to introduce people to the wiles and tricks of Holmes but it seemed a bit dragged out for me. It did get more entertaining towards the end part however and that part i did enjoy.


Character


With regards to the characters and their development, here is a picture of ms neglected. Neglected because she was supposed to be very important in the beginnings of the show but it really just ended up being like a separate story arc that did not really tie into the rest of the show. And unfortunately, this segment was a bit too long.

I am sure she played a more pivotal role in the previous movie, but for this show, she really didn't add anything in particular. Watson and Holmes of course took up the biggest chunk of the show and they introduced some other particular gal character. However, there is a bit of feeling that her character could have been elaborated more and she seemed awfully dull compared to Watson and Holmes.

The villain on the other hand was a bit more special and clearly also meant to be an anti type to Holmes. I would have loved to see his character being elaborated on more rather then merely be expressed to be just an evil Holmes. Even the villain had a evil version of Watson but they could really have been made to be more distinct.


Cinematography


The Cinematography in this show was great! It really managed to combine the thinking processes with the action very nicely and did not end up looking very weird or forced. In fact, the audience would be rather immersed and could conclude that maybe that is the exact way our own thinking processes work to come out with possibilities and outcomes.

What this movie did better then the previous movie was also in this section because it took what made Sherlocks Holmes special, and placed a lot more emphasis on it with correspondingly appropriate styling.


Music


Music was pretty good, above average at the least. It took cues from the previous movie and even used some of the same composition to bring about the feeling of familiarity. Besides that, it added quite a bit of immersiveness to the show.


Spectacle


This show aims to put itself above the action genre with the thrill of seeing the thought process of the characters, and it does these two aspects very nicely even blending it seemingly. However, when it tried to put a bit of drama into the show along with character development, it seemed slightly lacking and this detracted slightly from the enjoyment of the whole show.

Overall


Plot                           : 4 (The plot line is pretty generic actually, but least it is done interestingly)
Character                 : 4 (Some characters are really a bit too identical, too much time wasted on wife)
Cinematography      : 4.5 (Genre defining cinematography that makes the movie an experience)
Music                       : 4 (Nice tunes and soundtrack)
Spectacle                  : 4 (Does well in two of the three genres)


Overall                     : 4.1 (Overall, fans of pure action might find this show slightly too draggy for their taste. However, people who are willing to be entertained by putting a bit of thinking into the picture will probably be able to enjoy this show once we go past the drama in the first section of the show. Seeing the previous movie might help a person immerse into the style of Holmes, but other then that, it will not really help you understand this sequel nor help you appreciate the wedding part of the show.)


As usual any comments just go ahead below :D