Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The Sherlock Holmes created by Arthur Conan Doyle is debonair and quietly cunning. The one created by filmmaker Guy Ritchie is a buffed-up action hero resembling a 19th century James Bond.
Although the updated version doesn’t have much in common with the original, that isn’t what sinks Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, a big-budget follow-up to the 2009 collaboration between Ritchie and star Robert Downey Jr.
Rather, this action-packed sequel is lacking the freshness of its predecessor, with jokes that generally aren’t as funny and a mystery that’s less compelling.
The mystery this time has Holmes leaving the confines of 221B Baker St. to match wits with one of his most dangerous adversaries, the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), who Holmes is convinced had a hand in murdering an Austrian prince as part of a plan for European domination.
So the thrill-seeking Holmes again recruits his reluctant, mild-mannered sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law), who has just gotten married to Mary (Kelly Reilly). The pair embarks on a journey across Europe to track the crafty Moriarty and his henchmen, where Holmes will either be saved by his supreme intelligence or outdone by his own arrogance.
Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), along with screenwriters Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney, keeps the pace lively with plenty of shootouts, explosions and chase sequences.
The film manages some taut and stylish action scenes, including one stunt-filled episode aboard a moving train and a finale in a chalet on the side of a snowy Swiss mountain. Some of the trickery feels forced, however, such as having Holmes and Moriarty actually play a game of chess.
Downey is an ideal fit for Holmes, portraying the character as both playfully eccentric and a witty crime-solver. His chemistry with Law remains intact, and several other actors reprise their roles from the first film, including Rachel McAdams, Geraldine James and Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade.
Holmes has been featured in films and television perhaps as much as any character in history, so criticizing this interpretation of the character as ill-conceived compared to the source material isn’t entirely fair.
However, where the 2009 film at least offered an original vision, A Game of Shadows seems in too many ways to be a retread.
Rated PG-13, 129 minutes.