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

Hello, everyone!

It has been a while since I reviewed a mystery, so it is time for another Sherlock Holmes! I saw this movie for the first time just over two years ago and have watched it at least 30 times since. This is a sequel, so check out my review of the first movie HERE.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!


Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011):

Based on: Sherlock Holmes - by Arthur Conan Doyle.
"It is our last adventure, Watson, I plan to make the most of it."
Sherlock Holmes is trying to convince his best friend John Watson to solve one last case with him. After fighting an assassin who was trying to kill a gypsy, he and Watson follow that same gypsy to France. The learn that her brother might be wrapped up in a plot. What is it, though? Lurking in the shadows is Professor Moriarty who is in control of all of these happenings. Both Holmes and Moriarty are geniuses, but who will win this final game?
"Trust me, I do this for a living."

Genre: Mystery, Action, Adventure.
Length: approx. 129 minutes
Costumes: 7, there are a few times when a character isn't wearing a shirt or any clothing.
Costumes by: Jenny Beavan.
Script: 8, there is some name calling and one or two bad words.

'"Isn't this a bit conspicuous?"

"It's so overt, it's covert."'

Crew:
Directed by: Guy Ritchie.
Written by: Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney.
Starring:
Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes.

Jude Law as Dr. John Watson.

Noomi Rapace as Madam Simza Heron.

Jared Harris as Professor James Moriarty.
Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes.

Paul Anderson as Colonel Sebastian Moran.

Kelly Reilly as Mary.
Geraldine James as Mrs. Hudson.
Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade.
Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler.
William Houston as Constable Clark.
Wolf Kahler as Doctor Hoffmanstahl.
Jack Laskey as Carruthers.
Alexandre Carril as Twin.
Victor Carril as Twin.
Thorston Manderlay as Alfred Meinhard.
Afif Ben Badra as Tamas Morato.
Stanley Kaye as Stanley.
Thierry Neuvic as Claude Ravache.
Laurentiu Possa as Rene Heron.
Cinematography: 10, oh, this is so cool! All of the scenes are filmed in such an awesome way, I love it!

Cinematography by: Philippe Rousselot.
Music: 10! I love this score! It is in my top 10 favorites of all time.
Music by: Hans Zimmer.
Quotes: 9, my sister and I quote this movie often!

Watson: '"You seem--"

Holmes: "Excited?"

Watson: "Manic. Verging on--"

Holmes: "Ecstatic?"

Watson: "Psychotic."'

Content: 7, there is quite a bit of action meaning intense fighting scenes with death and killing, pain and torture. With that comes a few scenes with blood. There is also drinking, smoking, and a few suggestive things.
Originality: 10, the mystery is, how does Holmes say it?: "This is so deliciously complicated." I love including chess (because I love that game!) and all of the elements work so well together!

Good For: mystery lovers, Sherlock Holmes fans!
Age Range: Because there are so many intense scenes it is rated PG-13, but it depends on the person. My little sister refuses to watch this because she thought that the first movie Sherlock Holmes (2009) was really scary. I don't mind the action too much, though at times I do wince and look away.
Overall Score: 9!

Bonus thoughts:
Oh, I love this movie! I do think that the first one will always be my favorite, but this is a worthy sequel! The characters are so perfect as well as the actors who play them. The cinematography and music are A+! The twists will make you gasp and you are amazed at the brilliance! I saw the ending of this movie before I saw the beginning (Yeah, I don't know why), but even so, I was stumped by the mystery! It is also hilarious! My sister and I nearly die of laughter at a few parts. This is so awesome, just go watch it after you see the first one.


There you have it! Have any of you seen this? What are your thoughts? And, do you like this one or the first better?

Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Hello all!

Today, I am going to review for you another one of my favorites! I just watched it a year and a half ago for the first time, but since then I have watched it at least thirty times.

Am I being mysterious? Good, because it's a mystery.

Are you curious to what it is? No, because you already read the title of the post.

Anyway...

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

Sherlock Holmes (2009):

(Loosely) Based on: the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
"There is nothing more elusive than an obvious fact."
Sherlock Holmes and his retiring partner John Watson have solved a mystery where Lord Blackwood was arrested and hanged for murder. They think that it is now in the past, but when Blackwood supposedly 'rises from the dead', they reopen the case. With criminal Irene Adler seeking Sherlock's help as well, will they find out how Blackwood survived and stop him before it is too late?
"Watson, what have you done?"

Genre: Mystery, Action.

Length: approx. 128 minutes.

Costumes: 6, there is a scene where someone is wearing no clothing, and a few low costumes, but good besides that!

Script: 9, I think that they use a name in vain once or twice.

'"I've been reviewing my notes, of our exploits over the last seven months. Would you like to know my conclusion? I am psychologically disturbed."

"How so?" 

"Why else would I be continually led into situations where you deliberately, withhold your plans from me?"'

Crew:

Directed by: Guy Ritchie.

Written by: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg, & Lionel Wigram.

Starring:
Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes.

Jude Law as John Watson. "Relax, I'm a doctor."

I know that this is the typical picture but I love it so I'm putting it here anyway.

Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler.

Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood.
Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan.

Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade.
James Fox as Sir Thomas Rotheram.

Hans Matheson as Lord Coward. (Great name, right?)

Robert Maillet as Dredger.
William Hope as American Ambassador Standish.
William Houston as Constable Clark.
Geraldine James as Mrs. Hudson.

Cinematography: 10! The aesthetic of this movie is grungy, dirty, dark and light at the same time, with random blotches of color, but I totally dig it. 100%. It is awesome.

Cinematography by: Philippe Rousselot.

Music: 10! Oh, this music fits this movie perfectly! I can't imagine any other to replace it.

Music by: Hans Zimmer.

Quotes: 10! So, the reason that I don't have that many scattered through out this post is because they are so weird out of context. It is so quotable for anyone who has watched it, pretty much everyday my sister and I use a line from it, and whenever we watch it we are just saying the lines along with the actors. But, if you haven't seen it, it seems like we are all crazy.

'"More coal, doctor!"

"I see that you two are working hard."'

Notes: I'm not the ultimate Sherlock Holmes fan, but I did read the stories a few years ago, so I do notice a few things pointing directly to them:
The initials V. R..
In this movie Watson says to Mary, "Count those steps.", which is referring to one time in the stories (A Study in Scarlet?) Sherlock criticizes Watson for not noticing things, like how many steps there are.

Storyline: 6, there is a very suggestive thing where we see someone with no clothes on, drinking, smoking, use of drugs, murder, hanging, fighting, intense action, and general gruesome images. See more below!

Good For: Mystery lovers, Sherlock Holmes fans.

Age Range: My older sister, dad, and I love it. We watch it all the time. We convinced my little sister to watch it, and she hates it. She claims that it is super scary (see more below), and runs from the room anytime we watch it (when she saw me reviewing it right now she said "That's the scariest movie there ever was."). It is rated PG-13, so I'd go with that (my little sister is over 13, but still doesn't like it.) Just a heads up.
"How terrible is wisdom, when it brings no profit to the wise."

Overall Score: 8.5!

Bonus thoughts:
Now for all of that "see more below". This review is so hard to write without giving anything away! I'll try.

The reason that people fear Blackwood is because of his use of black magic. Don't run away! As a Catholic, I definitely do not like things that involve it, but remember, I love this movie. Watching it you will probably get freaked out a few times (I certainly did), but I cannot stress one thing enough: Watch it all the way to the end. I'm serious. This mystery is so awesome, you need to see everything to understand it. Some of Blackwood's ideas are Christian ideas twisted in a really bad way, so it shows that there are good ways to think about things, and bad ways.
Don't worry, just watch it and see what I'm talking about.


Thank you so much for reading! If you have seen this movie let me know so we can chat!

MovieCritic