Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows

Rating: 6/10 (10 January 2012)

My very first cinema encounter in 2012 is the sequel of a reverberating bromance action flick of Sherlock Holmes and his lover Dr. Watson, two years after the triumph of the unorthodox trio - Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law - of rebooting the household name into a bankable cash inflows, this time, at the same Christmas/New Year season, the threesome orgy revels in a more unrestrained burlesque, while all the detective-related mind-trickery is watered down in spite of Prof. Moriaty's existence (an underrated Jared Harris).
The film has some self-consciously insipid moments during its 129 minutes running time, for the hefty action sequences, either those slow-motion or pre-mind fighting is overly abused, which functions eloquently in the first episode, nevertheless, the same question here, do we really need Holmes to be an action star like Bruce Lee? (anyway, it could not be worse than WITHOUT A CLUE 1988, a slapstick farce of a swapped identity.) In the face of that the old trick fails to avail for the second time, the ace is that a gay-implied two-player eclipses all the rest of the film (I cannot bring to my mind what's the scheme of Moriaty in a crystal clear detail), and the bickering between these two lovebirds is the thing in its own favor.
Against all odds, it's a relief that Robert Downey Jr.'s charisma persists although barely enough to satisfy his loyal audience, and a dramatically emotional twist also propels the film to an overall mediocre level near the very end, Jude Law also has no need to curb his "innocent- looking" acting skills, which may be a stretch for him after turning 40. What is totally in dismay is the female characters, apart from Rachel McAdams' opening cameo, The original rising star from THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Noomi Rapace's Hollywood debut is awkwardly plain, an insignificant and tawdry Gypsy girl, to be sidelined without any glamor, god bless her in the upcoming PROMETHEUS 2012.