Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

The commercials for this movie promise that it "outdoes the original." In this case, I would have to agree.

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" is the second installment in the recent Sherlock Holmes adaptations.  Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson take on a fierce adversary (Professor Moriarty) - the same bad guy that was alluded to in the first film.

There is a wonderful chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) and Jude Law (Dr. Watson). What sometimes borderlines on homoerotic is actually quite an enjoyable and often humorous relationship between the two, and for me it's a large part of what makes these movies fun. You actually care about the characters and their friendship.

What also gives this film a leg-up is that the enemy -- Moriarty (Jared Harris) -- is actually a major badass. Holmes truly meets his match in this one. Moriarty is equal to Holmes in intellect and logic, but he is also diabolically evil and without conscience... meaning it's all the more fun to see how everything unfolds.

The film delivers an ample amount of twists and turns, just like you would expect in a Sherlock Holmes movie. There are funny, often witty moments and there are also some tense, sometimes shocking, moments. All in all, the movie keeps you entertained.

I never read the Sherlock Holmes books, so I'm no expert, but I love what Guy Ritchie has done with the story. Downey and Law are exceptional casting choices, which is probably a large part of why this franchise does so well.



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PG-13, 2 hr. 8 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure

Directed By: Guy Ritchie

Written By: Michele Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney

In Theaters: Dec 16, 2011 Wide

Box Office:$130.9M

Warner Bros. Pictures

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

 

I have to admit, I was really excited to hear this movie was coming out, and luckily I was not disappointed.

This is the 4th installment in the Mission: Impossible series, which may raise a red flag for some, but to me it was far superior to the 2nd and 3rd films. It was action packed, it wasn't too dark or overly complicated, and the cast really played well off each other.

In the film, badass agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has to get a new team together to take on another seemingly impossible mission - this time to prevent the nuclear destruction of America by a deranged Russian guy. Oh, and the whole team has been disavowed after being implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin... so they are pretty much on their own.... No big deal.

The film has all the elements of a great spy flick - a diabolical terrorist with absolutely no conscience, impending mass destruction, fancy high-tech spy gadgets, fast car sequences, witty banter, a scene where a sexy woman has to seduce a bad guy, comic relief (Simon Pegg, most notably), scenes where Cruise is running from explosions and scaling great heights, and some plot twists.

This movie was great in a way that was very different from the first film. Don't get me wrong, I loved the original Mission: Impossible. It's just that I remember that film being really dark and extremely intense (all good things). Nearly every one died and it kept you guessing up until the end of the film. This one, however, is more of an exciting action flick that's not so heavy and gives you a few chuckles along the way. The new team (consisting of Cruise, Pegg, the amazing Jeremy Renner, and Paula Patton) works really well together on screen. Cruise is the fearless team leader, Pegg is the comic relief techy, Renner is the analyst/secretly badass agent, and Patton is the tough yet sexy female. I also loved that none of them died a horrible death. The end of the film even leaves it open for a possible sequel, which I definitely wouldn't mind seeing.

All in all, Ghost Protocol was one of the better holiday releases, if not the best. And despite Tom Cruise being batshit crazy in real life, I can't deny that I enjoy watching him on screen.


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PG-13, 2 hr. 13 min.
Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure

Directed By: Brad Bird

Written By: Josh Applebaum, André Nemec

In Theaters: Dec 21, 2011 Wide
Box Office:$61.9M

Paramount Studios