Last film I watched in 2011 was Sherlock Holmes, first film of 2012 was Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The fact that I a) watched the second one and b) paid to see it in theatres says quite a lot for the first film.
Honestly, I thought the first movie was fantastic. It wasn't at all true to the books (since when is Sherlock Holmes a eccentric kung fu master?!), but if you watch it as a movie and not an adaption from an incredible book, it's pretty great (I didn't think I'd like it after hearing it bore little if any resemblance to the book, but I was pleasantly surprised).
Things I didn't like:
-I loved the book(s), and this was not the book(s).
-Abuse of slow motion.... It was cool the first 10 times. After that it bored me...
Things I liked:
-I thought it was casted perfectly. The characters were very well played (even if they were completely original and nothing like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's...)
-The humor was actually really funny, in my opinion
-Watson was perfect, and his dog was hysterical
-The action sequences were epic
-The sets were impressive, as were the lighting and camera angles (London was perfectly depicted, I think)
Things I loved:
-Holmes. For a character who was nothing like the original, this one was definitely an acceptable replacement. I clearly loved the book(s) (who didn't?!), but this made the story a lot more fun and entertaining. Staying true to Doyle's work could have gotten boring, I'll admit. And for someone as incredibly intelligent and observant as Sherlock Holmes, crazed, anti-social and completely consumed by his work is exactly how I'd imagine him. Using those characteristics to create humor was a bit of a risk, in my opinion, but I do believe it was a success.
-The soundtrack. Sometimes less is more, and sometimes Hans Zimmer writes every soundtrack in every movie released. I thought this one was clever, especially in a couple of intense scenes (if I had written this or taken notes during my watch I'd be able to give an example... unfortunately I did not...).
-Screenplay-A+. Not sure it could have been better.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS:
Things I didn't like:
-Kind of got boring. Movie 1 was exciting and intriguing and kept my attention from start to finish. Movie 2 didn't capture my attention to begin with and seemed to abuse some of the better aspects from Movie 1 in an attempt to continue with some of the humor and ambience I so much appreciated this first time around... it worked in some places, but not so much in others.
-The story didn't really catch on and left me confused more often than not. I understood it by the end, but everything before was just a blur of random confusion, for me (although I often feel this way when viewing with friends, unfortunately). I would have appreciated a few more hints, even some misleading tips to keep me more involved in the mystery.
-More abuse of the slow motion. I mean really...
Things I liked:
-Basically the same things from Movie 1; characters, humor and action were all up to par, for the most part
Things I loved-
-Nothing in particular, really.
These reviews aren't really fair considering I'll admit to the fact that I wasn't completely engaged in either viewing, but overall I did enjoy the two films and have plans to own them and watch them a good few more times as I found them to be quality entertainment.
As far as books go, I've been reading The Hunger Games trilogy to prepare myself for the March (I think it was March...?) release of the first move. Once I finish the third book I'll do an actual review, but I will say that I am enjoying them and do plan on seeing the movie (the first preview just freaked me out... now I understand the story and it isn't quite as horrific of a concept... not QUITE, anyway). Simple reads, big thoughts.... more on that when I can!
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