Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

This is exactly how I imagined that a pop culture update by Sherlock Holmes might look. A gourmet experience with a completely exclusive Holmes vs. Moriarty gambit. Despite many mistakes, a beautiful, intense and charmingly deliberate blockbuster, which has what the first film lacked the most... A soul. (30.12.2011)

Loaded guns, brains in full swing, deduction vibrating at maximum. When Holmes' thought-wrestling escapades conquered cinemas for the first time, I eagerly swallowed every idea of Ritchie's, and when Robert Downey, with a sparkle in his eyes, uncovers a web of intrigues for the second time, I applaud again. Moriarty is indeed the perfect nemesis, capable of threatening the most mundane situation, and in such moments, one needs not only a loyal partner but perhaps also an exhibitionistically tuned brother with a shaky staff. This impressive action-oriented approach simply suits me amidst the faltering Victorian era, and the whole creative team effortlessly navigates through emotions and locations with me. Please, dear Watson, bring on the trilogy. (16.01.2012)

I wished for a new take on good old Sherlock Holmes. I wanted an interesting, unexpected, and off-the-wall plot. And then all I needed for perfection was something that would take my breath away. But that's not how it works here... Everything is kind of the same as it was before, and I have nothing to be surprised by. I felt like I was watching an attempt to improve on the first episode. I often had to work to keep my attention on the film. I found some of the dialogue to be completely unnecessary. What saves it is the fantastic atmosphere and strong actors. I have to point out in particular the few minutes on the train and the perfect escape through the forest. The ending at least brought a smile to my face. 3.5 stars. (17.01.2012)

The first film worked with something like a moment of surprise, with the famous detective navigating Guy Ritchie's exquisite visual world. The second time around, the moment of surprise is gone, and suddenly you start digging into what you didn't mind in the first film. For two hours of runtime, the plot is too diluted, the female protagonists are neglected, the villain is bland, and except for two or three funny dialogue exchanges, there’s a lot of filler. But most importantly, a detective storyline is one you don't care about whatsoever. The action escapades are trite and not saved even by the run through the woods, yet that scene was also genius. During the first half, I was hoping it would pick up in the second half, as some commentators sometimes promised, but for the last half hour, I was praying for it to end. You don't just see blockbuster fails like this. (28.04.2012)

If all of the visual tricks, acting exhibitions, screenwriting ideas and fantastic locations were part of a clear and engaging story, this would be one of the top blockbusters of the year. But I really didn’t care about what was happening or what was going to happen next. And what’s the point of those drawn-out, several-minute ultra-dramatic scenes in which Sherlock and Watson are in danger of actually being killed, when we all know that neither one of them can die?! (21.12.2011)