Similar to the first movie. Well executed, interesting, and exciting.

Rating: 8/10 (29 October 2014)

I think it's popularly agreed that this is the better of the two newest Sherlock Holmes movies. This retains the genre of an action thriller that was introduced to this character in the first movie. Of course, in the stories, there are some light moments of action and suspense, but nothing like what is brought into these movies. The two movies are also, like much modern cinema, very much more dramatic than the literature of Arthur Conan Doyle's time. Some might not like the overpowering action element being integrated into this character, but I believe that it is done with the intention of appealing to the interests of modern audiences. Besides, the amazing deductions are still very present and the cinematography and display of the deductions is great, if a little too fast-paced at times. As in the first movie, a good amount of Holmes' deductive powers are used in combative settings. The techniques he uses in these situations are not explicitly illustrated in the stories, but have the same personality to them as some of his other more remarkable detective work. The two main points where this movie (and the first one) divert from the spirit of the stories are both connected to the plot. Firstly, there is a lot of international traveling and therefore many minor characters, whereas the original manuscripts usually consist of events with only a couple of outside characters within a fairly short distance of London. Secondly, the plot is again very important with, in the words of Holmes "the collapse of Western Civilization" at stake. I did not find that this detracted, but it is something for prospective viewers to look out for. Even if you are opposed to the breakage of Holmes tradition, the story is still good, if a bit complicated. If you can't or don't want to follow the major plot line, you can still enjoy the movie whether with the action or the deduction. Both of these two elements are interspersed frequently. The action is a bit more explosive than in the first picture. The fights have sort of upgraded in scale from hand to hand fights to machine gun barrages and bomb detonations with a couple of chase scenes. There is still some hand to hand and these scenes are all mixed with deduction. The deductions are varied in style. Some are done in the heat of combat with Holmes planning out his attack and defense with precision and a splash of superior humor. There are a couple of deductions of people, but these are less spectacularly portrayed. We get a good look at Holmes' crime scene deduction abilities. On at least three occasions, he is able to re- create a person or people's actions in a certain location and use it to his advantage. All of this is marked with the combined quirks of Robert Downey Jr. and Sherlock Holmes. That brings us to the characters, some new and some old. Holmes hasn't changed a bit and is still making queer remarks all the time in a somewhat arrogant way. This matches the ego of both Holmes and Downey's other characters (e.g. Iron Man). He has a hard time with his relationship with Watson since Watson is trying to enter his married life with Mary Morstan (who is given a pretty small role), but Holmes doesn't quite understand that this new life does not quite have room for him. Watson is again useful to an extent to Holmes in his work. However, the personality created for him in this version still does not make him a convincing friend to Holmes, which irritates me. Almost everything he does with Holmes is done reluctantly. That does not mean he is not a good character though, as he implements some of his own deductive skills at the end in rooting out Simza's brother (this was my favorite scene). Simza in this case is sort of the client, but is introduced as a string in the web of international politics with James Moriarty at its center. Moriarty is probably the most formidable adversary Holmes ever faces. He has very political and financial motives in his large scale crimes. He cowardly uses pawns to do his will, but we see his intellectual potency in his intriguing confrontations with Holmes, particularly the one at the end. The only other characters to address are Irene Adler and Mycroft Holmes. There isn't much to say about Irene here since she is SPOILER ALERT presumably killed off quite early. Mycroft isn't a huge part, but he is played well by Steven Fry and connects some of the international strings in the case. The final element to address is the execution. The acting was solid all around as was the script. The cinematography was, as stated before excellent both in its transitions and its portrayal of Holmes' deductions. The score has much of the same feel with Hans Zimmer's lilting violins and deep horns. The costumes were good too, though everything was annoyingly dull, almost as if a tint of grey was added to every pixel. Overall, I would say that if you liked the first one, you'll love this sequel. If you want an interesting or exciting movie, this should satisfy those desires. It might be disappointing to fans of the traditional Holmes stories, but it retains many of the original elements. Apart from that, the only reason anyone interested might not enjoy it is if they can't tolerate overly complicated story lines. Overall Rating: 8.8/10.