Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

Released at almost the same time, two sequels continued popular originals. Mission Impossible 4 was a refreshing update to the franchise, that found a way to make the series compelling again. The second Sherlock Holmes film, on the other hand, was stuck in the awkwardness that sequels so often elicit. Should it follow the successful formula of the first and, if so, how closely? How referential should it be? Do you bring the same characters back? What happens if the passage of time makes the original storyline hard to continue? And, in a general sense, how much does the filmmaker pander to the fans of the original versus ensuring that the new film is actually good?

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows clearly grapples with all of these questions. In some cases it answers them in interesting ways but too often director Guy Ritchie falls prey to repetition over innovation. This can be said of his career in general to-date. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) was a brilliant film that offered a new take on the gangster picture, with slick camera work, great dialogue and intriguing characters coming together in a well-paced and seamlessly connected narrative. The follow-ups, Snatch and RocknRolla (with a few duds in betwee), essentially followed the same formula but with diminishing returns. This is the case here as well, as his adherence to the jump cut, the slow motion scene, the immediate, narrated foreshadowing of a fight and the sometimes ridiculous action scene seemed less impressive here. The humor was also more muted and Holmes seemed to take on a lonely geniusthan lovable rouge role here.

The narrative follows Holmes and Watson on the eve of the latter's wedding, again intertwined in a battle of wits with a genius -- though in this case it is Holmes' mortal enemy Professor Moriarty. Moriarty is growing weary of Holmes' involvement in his latest nefarious plot and sets out to end his involvement by hurting those around him, including Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) and, of course, Watson (Jude Law) and his wife to be Mary (Kelly Reilly). Things begin to heat up as Holmes chases down the brother of a Gypsy somehow involved in the plot. This takes us to Paris, Germany and then to a majestic castle in the Alps for the rather predictable though exciting denouement. The film is again impressive at the level of cinematography and the narrative is engaging, if a little far-fetched -- asking a rather obvious but nonetheless important question about the real motives behind war. But the lighthearted, fun aesthetic of the first film seems more forced here, with far fewer laughs, darker undertones, more outrageous and unbelievable action sequences and a less compelling story in the end. For big fans of the first film, like me, this is worth a viewing, but for those who are circumspect of the genre, I might take a pass. B