Posts: 33,959
Threads: 2,552
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
If you didn't like the first one - GREG - you'll hate this one. It's more of the same, only less so. Even less substance, even more style. It's a pretty frantic film, mostly about the bromance between Downey & Law. Noomi is really captivating but learning she was a subscriber to our mag in Girl who Played with Fire, she can do no wrong in my eyes. It's even a bigger departure from the source material, which it comes back to in the end by means of SPOILERwaterfallENDSPOILER.
I chuckled now and again at the antics. There are a few slo-mo scenes that are visually stunning, but nothing so amazing to go out of your way to see.
It was fun to see it with CF as he didn't see the first one and LCF is a huge Downey fan who was chastising me for taking him instead of her. Hopefully he'll share his take on it, but I think he was disappointed that there weren't any spacesuits or a single platypus.
The fights are ok. More Sherlock vision, but it was far better done in the first film. No sword fights. Almost. There's swords, just no one fights with one. There's a knife fight that almost counts. A sword fight would have been welcome. No bartitsu really. Some wing chun, which will be the crux of my official review (my trade for the screener). I'll share that when it goes live on Friday.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 4,082
Threads: 681
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
0
After watching this, I've had to update my secret notebook, "Things to Do When I Go Back in Time." I had been intending to go back and kill Einstein, Edison and Eisenhower, not because I dislike the letter "e," nor do I hold any particular animosity towards these individuals, but just to dilute the cloying benevolence of so many time travelers. But now my number one mission is to dredge Arthur Conan Doyle from the past and treat him to a viewing of this movie. I want to see his reaction when, a few frantic minutes in, Downey introduces himself as Sherlock Holmes.
As DM may have mentioned, I didn't see the first movie, so this was my first exposure. It was jarring from the first frame. I was hoping for some time to sink into the characters, but it was caricature from the get-go -- outrageous disguises, clever ripostes (most of them whispered with an accent, which means I missed them entirely), and a very odd counterpoint of slapstick humor and genuinely brutal scenes. I don't want to be too critical of the latter, since I've enjoyed many Asian flicks that wildly mixed comedy and brutality (Robotrix comes to mind). Still, it posed a wildly swinging suspension bridge of disbelief that had me gripping the handrails on many occasions.
The style was annoying and intriguing at the same time. I kept trying to figure out what was working and what wasn't. But I think DM nailed it precisely with the word "frantic." I had a hard time relaxing, settling into the viewing. Any strong opinions I might have formed kept getting dislodged.
If I have one strong opinion, it would be that this Sherlock Holmes comes across in a Jackie Chan way. He's a brilliantly resourceful martial artist, intensely aware of his surroundings and able to read possibilities and clues into every item. But there is no sense of a profound intellect at work, though I'm certain Guy Richie was trying for that as well. This Sherlock Holmes survives from scene to scene on sheer physical prowess. I really wanted to see more of the quiet intellect and its power over brawn, as well as a few more breasts from the ladies.
And wouldn't a platypus or two have been nice?
Wearing spacesuits.
By the way, why is Guy Ritchie doing these movies? Why don't they let the author's great great grandson Christopher Doyle direct them? I actually did some googling to try to find out why. As it turns out, Christopher Doyle suffers from a SPOILERwaterfallENDSPOILER phobia.
Uh... Maybe you shouldn't trust me about Christopher being related to Arthur.
I'm nobody's pony.
Posts: 33,959
Threads: 2,552
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
I just spent the day banging out my official review (it's in your 'to be copy edited' emailbox now) and you just come here and kick my ass with your review. Dammit, dammit, dammit.
Then again, you didn't have a single MartialArtsMart plug, which is really the only reason I write such reviews...that and to get into screeners and act cool about it.
I'm gonna go sulk over my squash bread now. nom, nom, sulk, nom, nom....
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 33,959
Threads: 2,552
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
i tried to be nice. i'm not sure why, but i try.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1018">http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/a ... ticle=1018</a><!-- m -->
This film is best enjoyed with a DOOM brother and some squash bread. Otherwise, save your Xma$ca$h and give it a miss.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 4,749
Threads: 905
Joined: May 2008
Reputation:
2
Now available for rental. I watched it last night with the GF. I enjoyed the first one as a fun romp. Eye candy. This one was less spectacular, but still fun. Downey had some great lines. Does he play Downey in every movie? I just saw avengers and he was the same minus the accent and period clothes. I really liked the slow mo fight at the beginning and the slow mo battle at the end. I thought the movie was weak on showcasing Sherlock's deductive abilities (that is his super-power), but maybe I'm jaded by the BBC's modern Sherlock take. I didn't think the Mad Man Brit guy as Moriarty worked all that well. He's such a wimp in mad men that he didn't come off as a menacing villain in this. Even so, I thought it was satisfying.
--tg