It had me, then lost me, then had me again.

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 2011)

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are back as Holmes in Watson in the sequel to the 2009 hit, Sherlock Holmes. Director Guy Ritchie is back behind the camera. The sequel is called Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and it has the same qualities that the original: Loud, and it lost me.
Sherlock Holmes was loud, complex, but a lot of fun. It required a second viewing and in that second viewing I found it more enjoyable. And perhaps that is the case with the sequel, which I liked. Maybe not as much as the original, but enough for a recommendation. But it's close to a thumbs down. Maybe not close, but I was up and down.
Sherlock(Downey) meets his match with his nemesis, professor Moriarty(Jared Harris) and is in a race against time to stop him. Holmes teams up with Dr. Watson(Law) and a gypsy(The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's Noomi Rapace) to stop him.
The film has my attention for the first forty minutes or so, then lost me once is got to the plot. That's the middle portion of the film, basically. But once I finally figured out just what was going on, I was back involved. But to me, that happens during every Guy Ritchie movie. Every one requires a second viewing. I am saying see Sherlock part deux, but pay attention.
B