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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Rating: 3/5

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Stephen Fry and Jared Harris.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Year: 2011

Back in 2009 my better half and I decided to go and see Sherlock Holmes on yet another one of our “let’s drop in and see what this film has to offer” visits to the cinema. The film releases at the time were rather poor so Sherlock Holmes was the best option available to us. I can honestly say that I did not expect the film to be THAT good! Fast forward two years and I am eagerly awaiting the release of A Game of Shadows and visit the cinema to witness more action and adventure from Holmes and Watson. I am not in the least bit surprised that Guy Ritchie made a second film as it seems there are endless possibilities with these two characters. 

A Game of Shadows doesn’t exactly pick up where the last film left off and instead Sherlock Holmes  (Robert Downey Jr) finds himself disgruntled as long term partner Dr Watson (Jude Law) is about to marry his love Mary (Kelly Reilly) which causes Holmes to find himself at a loss. He decides to occupy his time by investigating his archenemy Professor Moriaty (Jared Harris), who has been masterminding terrorist bombings across Europe. As an act of vengeance towards Holmes, Moriaty decides to make the Watson’s his central target in his latest plot. Holmes and Watson again join forces and on the way meet gypsy Madam Simza (Noomi Rapace) and together the three friends travel on a mission to find her missing brother Renee, who may hold the secret to defeating Moriaty once and for all. 

As the film progresses we build up to a final battle scene between Holmes and Moriaty in which they both mentally plan their battle and Holmes soon realises that he will be defeated no matter what. The two enemies are then knocked into a waterfall before it is revealed near the end of the film that Holmes has indeed survived and it is left open for the possibility of another sequel. 

I thought that this film was very clever and that the action sequences were absolute perfection. I was really impressed by a lot of the imagery and camera techniques that are used, for example the final battle scene where some of the sequences are filmed in slow motion so you can see every punch made. Another scene which sticks in my mind is where Holmes, Watson, Sim and the others are running through a forest and the camera again is filming the action in slow motion and then speeding it up. I thought that this was very clever and added a lot to the film. Robert Downey Jr is sensational in his performance as Holmes and his English accent is quite impressive. I also enjoyed the chemistry between the two actors and a lot of the dialogue is really clever and funny. My only complaint about the film is that it is far too long and could use shortening in some scenes which seemed irrelevant to me. 

It is a fantastic film and one which the whole family will enjoy. If another sequel is indeed made then I would definitely give it a watch. 

Good points: The acting from Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, I think they really do make a good team and have terrific chemistry. The final battle scene and the small part of Dr Watson’s brother played by the brilliant Stephen Fry. 

Bad points: The film is just a tad too long and could use shortening at some points.

Top 5 films of 2011

Happy New Year to all of my wonderful readers! (I know that it’s slightly late, but better late than never eh?) I hope that you all had a rocking festive season, I certainly did! I am back in business and ready to kick off the New Year with my top five favourite films of 2011. It was a fantastic year for the film industry and there were some great releases throughout the year. I found this top five a really difficult decision and changed my mind nearly every day. Again, please feel free to leave any comments on my top five or even leave your own. After many days of deliberation here are my final top five:

Screen Gal’s top five films of 2011:

1. Scream 4
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
3. The Lincoln Lawyer
4. Thor 
5. Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon 

 

1. Scream 4

I know that there will be many people shaking their heads in disbelief at my decision after the releases of The Kings Speech, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and True Grit etc. However I have learned the hard way not to trust Oscar nominated films after my HUGE disappoint with No Country for Old Men. After patiently waiting for over a year I finally seen Scream 4 opening night on April 15^th. I have already done a full scale review of this film so I shall refrain from going into great detail about it or any other film in my top five. 

Scream 4 follows Sidney Prescott, the survivor of the previous Woodsboro killings who returns to her home town on a book tour of her new self help book ‘Out of Darkness’. Her visit home just happens to be on the anniversary of the killings that terrorised the small town a mere fifteen years before. After two young girls are brutally murdered a new chain of events unfolds and as the bodies begin to pile up it doesn’t take long for Sidney to realise that she is once again at the centre of the killer’s murder spree.

I personally really loved this film and was really impressed with it as I held REALLY high expectations after hearing the new additions to the cash and small snippets of gossip surrounding the film. I’m really not too keen on Scream 2 or 3 which is why I was so relieved that the film rightfully returned to its roots and took the pieces of what it done best from the original. There were so many great elements to this film including how the new cast interacted with the survivors, the killings were a lot more brutal and I loved how it was brought into the modern world through the use of social networking, smart phones and text messaging. This is a great watch and I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed the first.   

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 

Harry Potter is without a doubt the best book series ever written (in my opinion) and the films are easily just as good. I have always been a huge Harry fan after reading my first book when I was 13. I feel like I can pick up the books and will never tire of reading about the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Deathly Hallows part 2 was released when I was on holiday so I had to wait around three weeks before I could get the opportunity to view it in the cinema. I was not one bit disappointed with this film and it is definitely one of my favourite films of the series.  

Part two picks up exactly where the last film ended and we are swiftly taken back to the beach where Dobby the house elf is being laid to rest. Harry, Ron and Hermione are staying at the cottage to construct a plan to retrieve the next Horcrux which is contained in Bellatrix LeStrange’s volt at Gringotts, the wizarding bank managed by the Goblins. The marvellous three decide to break into Bellatrix’s vault using polyjuice potion and while there they retrieve the Hufflepuff goblet in time before their plan comes under fire and the goblins race to catch the imposters. The trio find themselves going back to Hogwarts to search for the last remaining Horcrux and this is where Harry and Voldemort battle until the end

I cannot stress enough how much I really love this film and spent days deliberating whether to put this in the number one position or Scream 4. I think that the one element that stands out is the acting in this film with notable performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman, Rupert Grint and Helena Bonham Carter. One of my favourite moments is the pensieve scene where Harry takes Professor Snape’s memory and learns the truth behind Dumbledore’s death. It is such a touching and emotional scene and really puts the whole series into perspective. It is such a shame to see this end however it did on a high note and ensured that no-one would forget about it anytime soon. 

3. The Lincoln Lawyer

As I have stated in my full review of this film, I was not enticed into seeing it and upon purchasing tickets found myself entering the cinema with a negative view and was just seeing it because I had a 40% off voucher. I was very pleasantly surprised and absolutely loved this film (so much so that it made it to my number 3 position!) I found that I was immediately drawn to the character of Mick and was instantly on his side.

The Lincoln Lawyer is about Mick Haller, a defence lawyer who operates his work through the backseat of his treasured Lincoln car. A wealthy Beverly Hills estate agent is accused of raping a prostitute, which becomes Haller’s next case but as the trial commences secrets begin to unravel and Haller soon discovers that his client may not be as innocent as he seems.

One of the things that instantly struck me about this film is how much I like Matthew McConaguey in this role and could not vision another actor playing the role of Mick. I also loved Ryan Philippe (a personal favourite ever since Cruel Intentions!) playing Louis and thought he was really believable in his portrayal of his character. This film is one that I constantly recommend to other people of all ages – I thought that it was very well constructed and enjoyed it so much that I went out and read the book a week after seeing the film.

4. Thor

I am such a huge fan of the Marvel films and when it was announced that they would be taking on Thor I was really quite excited. Thor is not a superhero that I am really familiar with however I was not too familiar with Iron Man when it was released and felt myself being really drawn into it and eventually fell in love with the two films that have been released.

The story centres on the powerful and arrogant warrior god Thor, who is banished from the realms of Asgard after confronting and engaging in a war with the Frost Giants in Jotunheim. As his punishment, his father Odin casts him down to earth, where Thor is forced to live an everyday life among humans. On earth, Thor learns life’s lessons and falls in love with Jane. Thor soon learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

I thought that Chris Hemsworth was perfectly cast as Thor, easy on the eye and portrayed a very likeable character. I felt that the humour in this film was really sharp and found it added light relief to what could be considered as a rather serious film. One of my favourite scenes in the final battle, I thought that the effects were fantastic and the audience really almost felt sympathy for the character of Loki (Thor’s brother). I should also note that I seen this film in 3D and felt that it was not worth paying extra as I did not feel like it was necessary. However, Marvel has once again provided the audience with a fantastic journey into one of their character’s story and with the upcoming Avengers film, I have a feeling that we will be readily awaiting to see our favourite superheroes unite.

5. Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

I was never really that into Transformers when I was younger however I do love this film franchise. When it was mentioned that there would be a third and possibly final film I have to admit that I did feel rather anxious as I was left feeling let down after the second instalment: Revenge of the Fallen. However, it exceeded my expectations and I left the cinema with a massive smile knowing that it had succeeded its predecessor.

The film opens telling the story of The Ark captained by Sentinel Prime, which was said to contain special items which would help the autobots defeat the decepticons. The ship was hit by enemy missiles and crash landed on the moon. In 1961, the crash of the Ark on the moon is detected by NASA and so President Kennedy pushes for NASA for land men on the moon to investigate. As the story unfolds it appears that the decepticons needed sentinel prime to activate pillars which would open a bridge through space and time. In the present day the autobots retrieve sentinel and it is not long before an all out battle occurs between the autobots and the decepticons and once again it is up to Sam Witwicky and his new girlfriend Carly Spencer to save the world.

I thought that this film was very well constructed – the effects were first class and I really enjoyed the beginning and the story of the NASA space landing. I will admit though that this film could have been cut down a little as I felt myself getting restless in the middle section. However, the battle scene in downtown Chicago was stunning and kept me on the edge of my seat. We are only left wondering what else Michael Bay has up his sleeve with a fourth instalment coming our way. 

My new year’s resolution is to update my blog more often and aim to do 3 posts a month (not a lot I know, but I’m aiming small then going to work my way up!) I will do a top five every month, a review and possibly a discussion. I am also in the process of creating a facebook page for you guys so I will give you all the details when I am up and running with that. Thank you so much for viewing my blog and don’t forget to keep in touch with all the latest follow @Screen_Gal on twitter.