Trailer Tuesday - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

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I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of 2009's Sherlock Holmes, which reimagined Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic English sleuth as equal parts action hero and - more traditionally - a bohemian private detective solving crimes for kicks.

Don't get me wrong. There was much that I loved about the film, from Guy (Snatch; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) Ritchie - particularly the fantastic Oscar-nominated production design and Hans Zimmer score, as well as the bromance chemistry between Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Jude Law's suave, surprisingly competent Watson. All these positives though were negated by a plot that sought to make a rather simple mystery appear far more complicated than it really was. Much like my main gripe about the first few Pirates of the Caribbean films, Sherlock Holmes seemed unnecessarily padded with convoluted scenarios and characters running back and forth between the same locations. Read my full review here.


Of course Sherlock Holmes was a massive success, commercially and critically. So a sequel was inevitable. Here we are 2 years later then with the release of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

This time, as revealed at the end of the first film, Holmes and Watson face their greatest nemesis - Professor Moriarty (Jared "Mad Men" Harris), a villainous genius with an intellect to rival that of Holmes. Cue a deadly battle of wits and cross-continental chase scenes as Moriarty's terrorist attacks fuel political tension on Mainland Europe. Meanwhile, Noomi Rapace plays a gypsy fortune teller enlisted by Holmes and Watson, while Stephen Fry is Holmes's powerful, government-employed brother Mycroft. And Rachel McAdams even returns as Sherlock's treacherous ex.


Having watched the trailer I can't say that A Game of Shadows looks particularly different from the original film. Then again, I'm sure fans will be happy simply with more of the same. And evidently, if the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are to be believed, the film delivers just that. There is some debate about whether A Game of Shadows is better or worse than its predecessor, but consensus is that the project is made most palatable, as before, by Downey Jr. and Law's highly entertaining onscreen relationship. If you prefer a quieter, more contemplative - but still eccentric - take on Holmes you're better off seeking out the contemporary-set Sherlock series from the BBC (Season 2 starts 1 January 2012).

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opened in the United States last Friday, 16 December. The film releases in South Africa next week, on 30 December.

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