A Phenomenal sequel

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2013)

I'm very surprised and impressed by this sequel to the original Sherlock Holmes. To be honest, I was not a fan of the original despite it being somewhat of a "classic" among occasional movie- goers. The sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, isn't necessarily better in the story- telling department, but it is better in every other aspect as compared to the first.
The film definitely has a better grip on the manic and silly Sherlock Holmes, and finally Downey Jr. nails the character. Jude Law is funnier and more charismatic, and the antagonists are violent and evil. The stylized, brutal, and bone crunching action that was present in the first film is now at full force in the second film. It's wonderfully choreographed, exciting, and unique. Sets are a neat stylized "Tim Burton" take on Britain, Paris, and more. The action set pieces are a combination of hilarious mishaps and neat Sherlock-esque action.
The most rickety aspect is the plot. It starts totally manic, hair brained, fast paced, and illogical but ends totally smart, stylish, intense, and wonderfully cheeky. It's a film that pulls a 180 in terms of being watchable, and shifts wildly from manic insanity to clever intensity by the end of the film. It's a film that's hard to digest: not because it's deep or complex, but because it starts out as a hair brained origins story with no direction and ends with a bang - but not the dynamite, explosion kind. Whatever that hard to digest element may be, this film is charismatic, exciting, funny, and a pleasure to watch.