The Plot
Holmes (Downey Jr) finds himself tangled in a web of terrorist conspiracy spun by Moriarty (Harris) when Watson (Law) is about to get married. Holmes saves them from becoming collateral damage but loses Irene Adler (McAdams). A bombmaker’s gypsy tarot card reader sister (Rapace) gets involved in the mystery. And amidst explosions and attacks, they “prevent the collapse of Western civilisation”.
By Mona J
-10 Because while watching the film, I had to believe that two pop culture phenomena never existed:Shanghai Noon/Knights and Steven Moffat’s BBC adaptation Sherlock.
+2 To The ‘Cold’ Open. And the introduction of Moriarty. All the violence and murder happens outside the frame while showing unflinching faces.
+4 To The Holmes-Watson Banter. One minute it is sexual and the other it is saving the world.
+8 Because Stephen Fry As Mycroft is pure awesome. The one place where Guy Ritchie beats the BBC fair and square. This includes a scene where he is completely naked and decrypting a message from his younger sibling ‘Sherly’ (pronounced much like Shirley) while Mary (Watson’s wife) stands around.
+6 Because What Robert Downey Jr Adds to the Jackie Chan art of fighting is poetry. With a voiceover. And plus four to Hans Zimmer’s background score.
+4 For The Intricate And Beautiful Sets, Costume And Props and four more for the slick camera and post-production work.
+1 For The Noiresque Shot Of Downey Jr In A Fedora, reminding us of his Dan Dark days.
-10 For Under-Using Noomi Rapace. The hacker from the Swedish Millenium Trilogy is now the gypsy tarot card reader.
+5 Because, go watson! When you’re being hunted by a sniper sitting in a tower, you don’t hide, you find a tank.
+10 For The Climax, the dialogue set inside a game of chess and then the Holmes- Moriarty face-off told in the style of Jet Li’s Hero.
-10 To Ritchie’s Moriarty. The charisma of his past villains made us expect a lot more. No complaint against Harris.
