Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: NR #12

I can think of no other way to start this off but by talking about trailers. Well, it's just one trailer, but one that is my MOST anticipated film of next year. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!!!! I had no idea there was a longer more cohesive trailer out there, but here it was, showing off how awesome this movie will be. I would say go this just for that, but it's probably all over the internet at this point. Now, back to your regularly scheduled program, which is my review of...

Let's Begin...

PLOT

Holmes and Watson are back to solve a new case and out wit a new villain. But, this one is different, he is an intellectual mastermind that may be as smart if not smarter than Holmes, Professor Moriarty. As Holmes and Moriarty play a deadly game of wit, Holmes is simultaneously trying to prove and find out why Moriarty is behind a string of bombings and strange murders around Europe.

PROS

Robert Downey Jr. is, once again, great as Sherlock Holmes as is Jude Law playing Dr. Watson. Their chemistry is also back and better than ever.

The film is shot beautifully, especially during the slow motion heavy chase through the woods. 

The scenes between Holmes and Moriarty are amazing, all 3 of them. They are some of the most epic battles of wit I've ever seen. Well, they are the only ones I've ever seen. 

The film is a lot darker then the last one, and I'm glad they went in that direction. I just wish they had stuck with the bitter sweet ending they were going for.

CONS

In the middle of the movie, my sisters,  Evan Goodrich and Maggie Goodrich, both asked my what was going on and I could only tell what was going on at that moment in time, not the whole picture. This is a very confusing movie, only because of con number 2. Which is...

The movie is BORING! It goes on and on and ON with nothing note worthy or exciting happening. Every once in a while it'll do something that'll grab your attention, but those moments or too far apart to make a difference. My sister Maggie Goodrich fell asleep, and they both, Maggie and Evan, left near end they were so bored.

The last 15 minutes should have been the whole movie. In those last minutes, Holmes and Moriarty have that battle of wits using chess as a metaphor for whats happening. It's exciting and tense, it's what you've wanted to see for the whole movie. 

Moriarty is not in it enough. He shows up 30 minutes into the film, and you don't see for another hour, then again until the last 15 minutes.

They force a stupid and meaningless sub plot with this gypsy woman whose brother is missing. It serves no purpose but to have a cool scene near the end, and it's resolved very anticlimactically since you don't care about the gypsy

Slow-motion is used WAY too much. Do remember the cool scene in the first Sherlock Holmes where Holmes is fighting a guy twice his size and they use this to show how he thinks and solves problems? They use that at least 3 times. The one scene where it worked was, once again, in the last 15 minutes.  

They cop out at the end. They pull a card that would have followed the books (at least from what I've heard) and set up an interesting dynamic for the sequel. But they just cop out and end with, I kid you not, "THE END ?" 

CONCLUSION

I heard a critic compare this to Iron Man 2, and I think he's right. It's not as well made, the villain is barley there, and it's just disappointing. I'd say see it, but don't pay 10 bucks just to have a nap. Pay 2 bucks and sleep in the comfort of your home.

RATING

RENTABLE