Wonderful window-dressing of a void plot

Rating: 6/10 (6 January 2012)

A very uneven movie. This is what I thought after having seen this movie. While the special effects, the costumes and the reproduction of late 19nth century social world are superb, the scenario is very weak in my opinion.
On the enmity between Holmes and Professor Moriarty, the origins of which are never explained, a whole diplomatico-military intrigue is based, the satanic sinews of which are masterminded by the sinister genius of the Professor. The well attested fact that a rivalry existed between France and Germany in the end of the 19nth century is almost attributed to the machinations of Moriarty who tried to foment war between nations for his own purposes as if deeply ingrained national antagonisms were the work of a single criminal intelligence.
Also the dialogues between Holmes and Moriarty which are supposed to be the pinnacles of sophistication and wit and concern a battle of wits as well as ponderous reflections on good and evil, war and peace- were in my opinion naive, obfuscating, adolescent and desperately trying to sound intelligent while they were not.
The eccentricities of Holmes and the genius of Moriarty, verified by his Cambridge lectureship were the silliest effort I have met with, to pass a certain form of eccentric Britishness as a mark of special qualities.
While I admired the costumes and the dynamism of the movie, I could not stop thinking how silly its whole premises were.