Review of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) by Stuartcooper — 06 Jan 2012

A frustrating movie- I was hoping it'd turn into a steampunk film, but it stayed wholly in period. There was a promising "underground railway being built here" sign on Baker Street, but this didn't turn up later in the film.

There's no chance for the viewers to try and solve the mysteries themselves; there's lightning-fast flashbacks as quick explanations are offered. The film is very dark throughout; almost all the action takes place at night. The editing is very fast at times, which creates confusion and disorientation in the viewer.

There are some good scenes, the Moriarty character is used well and there are some good confrontations between he and Holmes, with a chess metaphor running between them.

There's a nice use of the final scenes of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" in an Opera House scene.

If the film had been slowed down and more mystery added to it, I would've enjoyed it a lot more.