Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is the 2011 follow-up to the 2010 movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson. The rest of the cast includes Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, and Geraldine James. This time, Moriarty is introduced in the flesh, as opposed to the shadowy figure from the first movie, and played wonderfully by Jared Harris. The movie incorporates elements of different Holmes stories, such as The Final Problem, and basically sets up a Holmes v. Moriarty showdown. I will not go into too much detail to avoid giving too much away, but if you have read the Holmes novels, you likely have an idea of the ending, although it does not follow the stories from the books word-for-word.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is outstanding. The movie looks and sounds great in the HD format and the special effects look seamless with the practical effects. The extras are much like what was included in the Blu-Ray release of the first movie. The most extensive being the Maximum Movie Mode, which allows you to play the movie with behind the scenes material interjected. Then, there are some other behind the scenes features included as well. A lot to go through for people who like the bonus material.

Ultimately, if you liked the first movie, you will likely like this one, as it has a very similar tone and feel with an even better bad guy to be a foil for Holmes. You really cannot compare it with the BBC series Sherlock, as the movies and the series were really their own thing. It just so happens that, unfortunately, were released very close in time, and the series went on to be a very big hit. This, I think, is at least a part of why future movies have not materialized (not to mention Downey Jr. and Cumberbatch's commitments to the Marvel movies). It is definitely worth a couple of hours if you are looking for a good action movie.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes

 

Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 action comedy starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Mark Strong, and Rachel McAdams. It came out shortly before and was arguably overshadowed by the BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, which will pretty much always result in the two being compared in quality, acting performances, etc. Unlike the TV series, the movie is set in the late 1800s with Downey in the titular role, Jude Law playing Dr. Watson, and Rachel McAdams playing Irene Adler.

The storyline centers around a serial killer named Lord Blackstone, whom Holmes takes down at the beginning of the movie. He escapes his execution and then sets in motion a plan to retake America, which was weakened by the Civil War. The character of Moriarty is also waiting in the background but not really revealed during this movie.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great in the high-definition format. Both the cinematography and the CGI used to bring Victorian-era London to life look wonderful in HD. The extras include about 50 minutes worth of behind-the-scenes and making-of material, as well as a Maximum Movie Mode, which plays the movie with clips of the actors and director Guy Ritchie discussing the filmmaking process. There is a very good amount of quality bonus material for those who like going through the extras.

Overall, the movie is very good. Downey Jr. and Law do an excellent job as Holmes and Watson, and they did not try to be carbon copies of prior live-action versions of the characters. Like Cumberbatch, Downey portrayed Holmes as a quirky, almost antisocial character who always observes and analyzes. Thankfully, Downey and Cumberbatch played the characters very differently, as the character in the movie is depicted as much more of an action hero who is more than willing to jump into a fight and allows Downey Jr. to display his martial arts skills. While I like the BBC series better, mainly because it is set in the present day and can focus more on the secondary characters than the movie can, it is still very enjoyable, and worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Captain America Civil War

 

Civil War is one of the 2016 entries into the MCU. It was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and brought back nearly all of the MCU main characters/actors. This movie was really a sequel to all the various movies that have come before and was as much an Ironman sequel as it was a Captain America sequel. I will not go too much into the story because to do so would be to give too much away. But there are elements of revenge, misdirection, and, most of all, consequences for the things that came before. It is really the first attempt in the movies to deal with the collateral damage done to the ordinary public after the big climactic battles like those of the two Avengers movies, the second Thor movie, etc. The fallout of that collateral damage leads some characters to agree to let the United Nations decide when and where to deploy the superheroes, which begins to fracture the team. What ultimately causes the biggest rift is a much larger storyline involving Captain America (Chris Evans), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

This transition movie is bridging what has come before with what we know is coming, specifically the Infinity Wars movie. This movie leaves the Avengers team very much tattered, with Thor and Hulk conspicuously absent. It leaves a question about where those characters will fall when they are brought back into the storyline. As most know, this movie also introduces Black Panther, which I think is very well played by Chadwick Boseman, and yet another incarnation of Spider-Man, this time played by Tom Holland. In the main battle between the two teams, Spider-Man and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) very much steal the scenes, both in terms of comedy and with what they bring to the fight.

For those who get the discs, the movie looks and sounds great on Blu-ray. For extras, there is a commentary track on the film by the filmmakers (none of the cast), about an hour plus of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, and a gag reel. There is also a short feature introducing the Doctor Strange movie. Ultimately, this movie is not so complex that you would have no idea what is going on if you have not seen the other movies, but given the movies and, to a smaller extent, the various TV series are all telling a large overarching story, the events of this movie will be easier to follow the more you have seen what has come before. The acting is very good, and the special effects are top-notch. If you have superhero fatigue with all the various movies or are just lukewarm to them in general, then this will probably not be for you. For everybody else, while liking it or not will be subjective, most will find it enjoyable.