RATING: B+
Remember that Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr? Well, it was good and successful enough that there was a sequel. Of course many have probably already forgotten about those movies in the wake of the success of Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock. But there is still a certain group of those who are likely to find enjoyment in Guy Ritchie's version--if they like the idea of Sherlock being as good of a fighter as he is a detective.
That first movie was a pretty fun ride, but there were some kinks to be worked out--most notably the villain and the fact that the antagonistic group he was affiliated with was a weird supernatural magic death cult or something (which felt so out of place in a Holmes story). The pacing was a little off too. In this version, both of those are dramatically improved upon.
In this film, we go straight from Lord Blackwood of the Occult Illuminati... to Professor Moriarty himself, Holmes' arch-nemesis. The only problem with that idea is that if a third one ever happens, they'll have a tough time topping Moriarty. This one seems to take place some time after the first movie, because Holmes and Moriarty have apparently been at odds for a while now and aware of each other's existence--yet they have never met. Moriarty is getting fed up with Sherlock's meddling and is also closer to carrying out his plan to... um... blow up buildings. Okay, Moriarty's plan is less convoluted than Blackwood's, but it still is indeed a bit convoluted.
If the first movie (though enjoyable) fell a little short of its potential due to the lack of a gripping villain/conflict, this one does much better in that regard. Moriarty is just in general a much more threatening antagonist (played pretty well by Jared Harris)--there is a sort of terrifying calm about him. And the action scenes in this movie are both more well-done here and more tense. The two standout scenes are an excellent train sequence and a forest chase scene--the latter of which includes some of the best use of slow motion I've ever seen.
This movie has a rather interesting goal--it attempts to both be intellectual enough to keep the more demanding viewers interested and yet still have enough of the qualities of a more popcorn-action-esque movie to keep others interested. It's not executed perfectly; there are still a couple of slow points here and there. The gypsy character may technically be somewhat important to the plot, but she's still one of the most forgettable things about this movie.
Still, this Sherlock Holmes sequel gets right some of what its predecessor didn't--but still more or less keeps parts what did work in the first one without repeating itself too much. And this one's just more compelling in general. Holmes and Moriarty's battle of wits is infinitely more interesting than some occult guy supposedly killing people with magic when we know it's not magic. Moriarty makes a remark to the effect of when two foes like themselves collide, there is "collateral damage." Well, the collateral damage and overall threat here feel more real. Ritchie seems to understand better in this installment than the first one what needs to be done in a Holmes movie with the kind of parameters he's already set. Hopefully one day they'll finally get around to a third one of these.
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