A Game of Shadows

[rabidsamfan]

Well, I went and saw A Game of Shadows tonight, and despite having made the mistake of eating something new and different before the movie, I'm glad I went. Internal distractions aside, I had a good time, having gone in expecting adrenaline charged crackfic and getting it, by heaven!



I also got some fun scenes with Mycroft, and a Mary I can more than live with, thanks. RDJ is still not "my" Holmes, but Jude Law's Watson is still very close to how I see the good doctor. Moriarty was played brilliantly, and I really liked -- in a "what a good villain" sort of way -- Colonel Moran.

I didn't expect some of the angsty bits (although one of them was telegraphed) and I can see some writers definitely working very hard to get around what happens to Irene.

I also have (in retrospect) a bit of a problem with the denouement, but it is a minor creebing and they are forgiven.

Clearly, though, I did not see the same movie as some of the critics (or maybe they didn't see the same trailers I did and were expecting something *snerk* cerebral...)

Feel free to discuss the movie here. I need someone to bounce with!

Comments

[xtinethepirate.livejournal.com]

The people right behind me laughed and talked through the entire muted post-Reichenbach scene, which made me rather cross, but otherwise what a fab time! Moran was, for me, the unexpected highlight of the film, though I was also pleasantly surprised by Mary's BAMF moments as well.

Mycroft. Naked. Naked Mycroft. My life is complete.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

*snicker* Naked Mycroft was fun, I must admit. And I loved Mary's BAMF moments. But I shake my fist at the people who were talking in your showing. Not fair!

[piplover.livejournal.com]

I loved the movie. I loved the friendship and the love between Holmes and Watson. The ending broke my heart, the way he just closed his eyes and accepted it. So powerful.

I didn't like Mary any more in this movie than the first. I loved book Mary, and wish they had stuck more with her original story, where she wasn't a rival for Holmes and treated him like the third wheel rather than her husband's best friend.

And Mycroft! There was nothing there not to love, lol.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I love book Mary too, but she would be sort of drowned out in this milieu. And I always do imagine her as being someone who really does understand how important Holmes is to Watson. But with Holmes being more overtly jealous in the movie 'verse, it's good that they give her brains and guts as well as a heart to match her John.

The ending was brilliant. I never expected him to see them fall! But he knew. He just knew. (And I want to know who the boys were at the funeral service. Irregulars, perhaps?)

[piplover.livejournal.com]

I thought the littles were Irregulars, too! I wish they had done more with them. It would have been brilliant!

The ending was amazing. I was looking at the chair, thinking, "Something's not right with that. What is going on?" And then...

I'm going to have to watch it again to see what the date on the package Watson receives is.

[mariole.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the movie, but RDJ is so far from my vision of Holmes I don't even care about spoilers. I don't know what the hell he is, but he isn't Holmes. I know you like Law as Watson; I just don't see Watson in that character, either. Law plays someone prim and superior; "my" Watson was down-to-Earth and very much Holmes' occasional sideman and thrilled to be so. So it's just an action movie to me with heroes who have these awkward names. I will see it sometime, but what I really want to see is Sherlock Season 2 from the BBC. Those guys play the characters!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I've got so many different versions of film!Holmes that I've watched that I guess I've gotten pretty adaptable. RDJ isn't my head!canon Holmes and never will be, but I like AU's enough to live with his quirkiness for a couple of hours. Jude Law's performance meets that quirkiness, but the main reason I like him is pretty much appearance. My Watson is damn good looking. ;) I don't see Law's Watson as prim and superior, either, so that helps. But we've kind of come into the story right at the point when the two of them are a bit fractious over changes.

You might like Moriarty in this -- he's very creepy, actually.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Haven't read anything under the cut, since I'm going to see it in a few hours, and don't know if it's spoilery or not... but that's basically what I am looking for was well. I'm psyched! -D

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

You'll have fun! Take plenty of popcorn!

[gaffer42.livejournal.com]

I am bouncing too! Saw it with Big D and Rev'd Up Bro, (bro is a United Church minister) and we were all bouncing and cringing and cheering at the good spots - and there were LOOOTS of good spots! I agree, the big emotional OMFG beat for the beginning of 3 is toast. WTF? But it's so fun! We're seeing it again, probably over the hols.

[ancalime8301]

I really, really cannot wait until I can see this movie. *flails* :D

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

I liked this better thanthe first. Mycroft was perfect. I really liked that Mary was AWESOME in her few minutes of screen time. I feel that she and Watson are well suited in the film. I love RDJ's Holmes... MY holmes is unquestionably Cumberbatch, but when it comes to not!perfect Holmeses (which except for BC they all are in my book) RDJ wins. The only thing that irritated me was the overload of entendre. I mean... was it really that necessary? I found it a bit distracting. I expected some a la the first movie, but I thought this took it too another level.

Re: the critics. I have always found it frustrating that critic can't seem to understand the idea of "this movie is fun, not artsy." I remember reading a review of Sahara (I love that movie) saying that the storyline wasn't very logical, and it was too episodeic, and it was sort of dumb. And I just thought, what part of fun, non-cerebral, adventure film do you not get? I like more brainy movies, but I don't expect Sherlock Holmes to be an art film any more than I expect Cars to deal with dark adult sorts of issues.

(That being said, I really like the look of these films, and I think Zimmer outdid himself in this installment. The soundtrack to Sherlock Holmes was my favorite soundtrack of all time, and this might be better. The way he used the Don Giovanni theme! In fact, everything about the Don Giovanni sequence was incredible)

Anyway, that was basically all squee, but that' all I have. :-)

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Also, "Sherly"

I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED SOMEONE TO SAY THAT.

AND THAT SOMEONE WAS STEPHEN FRY!

THE END.

[teddy-tips.livejournal.com]

I just saw the film, and loved it! I also liked it better than the first, and likewise was a little puzzled by the reviews - what WERE they expecting though?

The only thing I was miffed by was the end. Set up for such delicious angst, and then they just lowered the stakes like it was nbd. Le sigh.

But I CANNOT wait for the third! Gah!

Jude's Watson is my life!canon. He's not actually Jude Law. He's Watson. Drinking and gambling somewhere with Sherly.