When the original Sherlock Holmes hit cinemas way back when, most people enjoyed it. Actually make that really enjoyed it. Robert Downey Jr. was rather perfect as the diligent detective as was Jude Law as his partner in crime…solving. Oh, how audiences rejoiced at clever fight sequences where Holmes would envision all his moves and then carry them out blow by blow in slow motion that even Zach Snyder would be proud of. And with a punchy and pacy story, the original had many of us drooling at the thought of Guy Ritchie getting behind the camera again. You can see where this is going can’t you?
Reprising the roles of Holmes and Watson, Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law return, as does Guy Ritchie (behind the camera) for some more mystery solving, this time predominately revolving around their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris, who is rather excellent). Said Professor has taken a liking to blowing things up and while he’s at it, also takes a liking to killing off the newly married Watson. Without a magnifying glass in sight, the crime fighting duo set about stopping the dastardly Moriarty…and so on.
Like the original before it, the first thing that strikes you about a Game of Shadows is how genuine and authentic the whole thing looks. The set design and decoration is absolutely spot on. And the next thing that hits you into the mouth, is how great Robert Downey Jr. is as one of the worlds most famous detectives (After Magnum of course..) And the same can be said for Jude Law. Yet again, he pulls off quite a convincing performance as the straight down the middle Dr. Watson. So…so far so good right?. Wrong! Much of the chemistry between the two co-stars that was so brilliant in the original, is gone. It’s only in the latter stages that the once great chemicals connect again, and tragically, its a bit too much too late. Even the fight sequences, which were great in the original, soon get a bit boring and predictable. Great original idea first time round. Not so much the second time.
The story here is overly complicated and incredibly long and drawn out. I’d tell a lie if I didn’t get a dose of the snoozes during the first hour. After the stunning sets have left their impression, you soon realise that there isn’t a great deal going on. And that's when the boredom sets in a bit. Thankfully things take a turn for the better in the second half of the 129 minute movie (which about 20 minutes too long). The set piece through the woods is fantastic as trees and cannonballs explode around our hapless bunch of heroes. And to its credit, the finale between Holmes and Moriarty is quite unique and far removed from what you might come to expect.
A Game of Shadows could have been spectacular, but instead we have something that tried to be overly complicated and lost quite a bit of its charm and likeability since the original. Providing you don’t nod off during the first hour, you do get some bang for your buck. And as an added bonus, you’ll leave this movie with a mystery of your own to solve. It’ll primarily involve wondering how the hell did things turn out so mediocre. And not even Holmes himself could figure that out!
