Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room...until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large-Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)-and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder-a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction-all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history
In 2009, Guy Ritchie’s interpretation of the character Sherlock Holmes hit the big screen and it was something we have seen a lot before in other films but was a breath of fresh air within the title characters universe that we accepted it as new. It definitely wasn’t but it helped the film appeal to a much larger audience then was to be expected from a Holmes film. It was successful enough to warrant a sequel that at times topped the quality of original, but seemed much too bloated for its own good to keep it from surpassing the first one as a whole.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are faced with their most threatening villain yet in the great Professor Moriarty. His motives are bland and generic, but the interactions between him and his foes give off a menacing appeal that helps make the character the ultimate enemy for Holmes. This chess battle that they literally metaphor is thrown into your face way too much, treating the audience as if they are stupid by saying what they’re doing rather than just doing it. It got as repetitive as the constant decision to use slow motion. They movie had quite a bit of good action pieces, but when they take ten minutes to finish, even action junkies begin to stop drooling. Guy Ritchie obviously didn’t get the memo about Sucker Punch. The biggest disappointment of the film was its inability to restrain its blockbuster side of things. Throughout the entire film, the characters laugh, rack jokes, act so heroic that you never feel anybody is in any danger. What’s worse is that placed directly in the middle of the film is a scene that oozes the films full potential; you’re disappointed by everything that comes after. For a few minutes Sherlock Holmes was vulnerable, he was breakable, and best of all he was fearful of something. If you adapted a film around just that one scene it could have been fantastic, but instead all you get is commotion on screen.
With Robert Downey Jr, you don’t exactly get a wide range of characters, you simply get one; a cocky, egotistical dick that you can’t help but like. He’s more of the same here, but the layer of recoating doesn’t feel as entertaining as before since you’ve seen it so many times already. Jude Law gets a little more into the action this time and his chemistry between him and Downey are front and center. It’s the films biggest strength and even is better than before. It’s too bad that the rest of the film wasn’t. The villain is Professor Moriarty played greatly by Jared Harris, a recognizable by not famous face. He is the exact opposite of the first films villain. Where’s Mark Strong was a weak, scared little phony, Moriarty is a menacing character that when given the chance to unleash his menacing side is quite good. The problem lies with the tone of the film. He felt a little out of place in a film that seems content with pleasing the families rather than the adults in the crowd. Did I mention Noomi Rapace was in the film? O I didn’t; its probably because she is such a wasted character that she was completely forgettable. What a wasted casting.
If the first Sherlock Holmes pleased you, than you should be satisfied enough by this disappointing sequel. It feels like much more of the same but with a better viallain and a weaker everything else. If the first one turned you off, I really don’t think there’s a batshit in hell that this would change your mind on the franchise. All I will remember from this film is the missed opportunity to turn it into something great.
Overall Score: 6/10
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