tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post2505304169461268553..comments2024-01-26T14:35:09.185-05:00Comments on GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE!: SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (2011)Fritz "Doc" Freakensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13209589620766485745noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-31112168541897972212012-04-14T00:06:39.625-04:002012-04-14T00:06:39.625-04:00Thanks for the comments, Buddy2blogger!
While I’m...Thanks for the comments, Buddy2blogger!<br /><br />While I’m not as much of a “Sherlockian” as some, I have read most of Doyle’s cannon and many other pastiche works as well. I’ve also watched just about every film and television iteration of Sherlock Holmes over the years, so I’m fairly particular on what type of Holmes I prefer on screen. Until Jeremy Brett’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone’s Holmes was my favorite. I wasn’t keen on Bruce's portrayal of Dr. Watson as a doddering old fool, so I was pleased that Watson’s portrayals by David Burke and later by Edward Hardwicke in the Granada Television productions were much closer to the literary source.<br /><br />By all means, watch Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – especially since you liked the first film. The second film builds of the first and does a fine job of riffing on – if not actually adapting - "The Final Problem".Fritz "Doc" Freakensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13209589620766485745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-39023125226828542432012-04-12T22:33:35.629-04:002012-04-12T22:33:35.629-04:00Always a pleasure to meet a Sherlockian :)
I have...Always a pleasure to meet a Sherlockian :)<br /><br />I have seen the first movie and liked it. I need to check the second one out.<br /><br />Brett is my favorite Holmes as well.<br /><br />Cheers!Arunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16498276962097853996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-40252538428693502732012-01-30T13:45:36.577-05:002012-01-30T13:45:36.577-05:00I agree that the first film spent more time on the...I agree that the first film spent more time on the Holmes/Watson relationship, but I still prefer the plot and villain of the sequel. I look forward to reading your reviews of both of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock films, Francisco!Fritz "Doc" Freakensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13209589620766485745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-67881015072222046592012-01-30T11:56:32.901-05:002012-01-30T11:56:32.901-05:00I got throug watching the first one Fritz, I ended...I got throug watching the first one Fritz, I ended up enjoying it even more than the sequel! The characters are just fun as hell, I enjoyed many things about the first film. I'll be posting a review for both films soon, look forward to that!Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-38083890950993978232012-01-10T21:06:41.135-05:002012-01-10T21:06:41.135-05:00I’m glad to hear you liked Sherlock Holmes: A Game...I’m glad to hear you liked Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows as much as I did, Francisco!<br /><br />I agree that the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. John Watson was especially razor-sharp in this second film! I don’t know how much freedom these actors were given to deviate from the script, but both their comic and dramatic verbal exchanges really flowed in this outing.<br /><br />I honestly feel that any other actor would have played Sherlock with a much more serious tone. That might not have been a bad thing either. However, Robert Downey Jr. is so good at balancing the quick wit with the terse drama that I don’t think any other actor would play it better than he.Fritz "Doc" Freakensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13209589620766485745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-88974188897094696302012-01-10T14:04:06.945-05:002012-01-10T14:04:06.945-05:00This was great fun, I agree. What I liked most abo...This was great fun, I agree. What I liked most about it was the comedy, the dialog betwee Watson and Holmes was often times hilarious, I wonder what this film would be like without robert Downey Jr.?Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-51290719718247592012-01-05T21:45:43.064-05:002012-01-05T21:45:43.064-05:00I assume by the “freshness” in the first film, you...I assume by the “freshness” in the first film, you are referring to Guy Ritchie’s use of the slo-mo flash-forward technique in the fight/action sequences to demonstrate Holmes’ ability to anticipate in advance the actions and reactions to the forthcoming conflict. I didn’t count the number of times this technique was used in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, but it didn’t seem excessive to me. Still, because it had already been established that Holmes used this anticipatory method in the first film, it may have felt redundant to fans of that film. I think Ritchie used it just to be consistent with the original film and also to inform viewers who might not have seen Sherlock Holmes.<br /><br />I agree that Noomi Rapace’s character, Madam Simza Heron, was dreadfully underused, but perhaps Ritchie or the screenwriters did not want to make her too much of a feminist, for fear of making her too similar to Rachel McAdams’ Irene Adler in the first film. BTW: I was not happy the way Ms. Adler was dispatched so early on in SH:AGoS.<br /><br />Thanks for the comments, Dan!Fritz "Doc" Freakensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13209589620766485745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-81581972744709387062012-01-05T10:21:25.909-05:002012-01-05T10:21:25.909-05:00Although all of the freshness that was part of the...Although all of the freshness that was part of the first one is somewhat over-used, the flick is still a lot of fun with Downey Jr., Harris, and Law breathing life into each of their own characters. However, I was kind of disappointed by Noomi Rapace’s role as she just simply stands there and really doesn’t do anything. Regardless though, good review.Dan O.http://www.dtmmr.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-35388417589586548212012-01-03T21:07:28.151-05:002012-01-03T21:07:28.151-05:00Thanks, Steve! Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows wa...Thanks, Steve! Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows was definitively a step up from Sherlock Holmes, in terms of plot, characters, production and overall scope.<br /><br />It was absolutely worth it to see at the theater – but because I saw Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows two weeks after its release, my local movie house had already put it in one of their 50-seat theaters, so the “big screen” wasn’t that big. Add to that the theater was one of those annoyingly laid out ones with the aisle in the middle of the theater so that no matter where you sit, you’re slightly off to the side… I was not happy with the theater. Still, by the time the second reel was unspooling (yes, it was an actual film, as I could see the worn lines on the film stock in some scenes) I was so involved in the film that I forgot these minor quibbles with the theater.Fritz "Doc" Freakensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13209589620766485745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797284234078302183.post-63375474939449464052012-01-03T00:12:19.300-05:002012-01-03T00:12:19.300-05:00Good write-up. I felt much the same way you did, a...Good write-up. I felt much the same way you did, and I agree that if one didn't like the first one, this is a movie to stay away from... but that it's most certainly worth paying to see on the big screen if you did like the 2009 flick.Steve Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com