| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that, like its predecessor, this entertaining Sherlock Holmes adventure is filled with several scenes of action violence and mayhem. Though the fight scenes are very choreographed and stylized, they're bone-crunching and often brutal. And the slo-mo effects sometimes make the anticipation of the impact almost worse than the impact itself. Knives, guns, and bombs are all in use; there's also one scene of torture and a suicide. There's also a fair bit of innuendo, one scene of a naked man from behind, some mild language ("bastard" and "damn), pipe smoking, and social drinking. Holmes (again played by Robert Downey Jr.) dons women's clothing in one sequence.
The world has gone mad. Bombs are going off in Strasbourg and Vienna, an American mogul has dropped dead, and a prince has committed suicide. The events may seem random, a cacophony of chaos. But as the intrepid and eccentric detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) soon discovers, there's a brilliant and masterful villain on the loose: Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). And he's not just after power and wealth: He's after Holmes. He's also gunning for Holmes' right-hand man, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), who's just gotten married but may not be quite retired from sleuthing.
Is SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS any good? Is Robert Downey Jr. talented? Clearly, the answer to both is affirmative. How can this franchise not be entertaining with the likes of him playing a historically fascinating lead (and Law as a gutsy Watson)? The film even looks entertaining: The tableau is drained of color, etched in charcoal, but still very stylized, which fits director Guy Ritchie's signature. He's assured another hit.
But is it great? Perhaps expectations are raised too high, but it feels like the bloom of the movie's specific visual and storytelling style is fading a bit. Ritchie's swift deconstruction of Holmes' thought process seem wasted on what-if situations instead of on actual detective work. And, yes, the bromance between Holmes and Watson is charming, but it's clear when Holmes faces Moriarty that the movie hungers for more of that type of confrontation. It's an iconic match-up, and it's too bad we don't spend much time with it and Holmes' other misadventures. Let the master detective detect!
Families can talk about how the new Sherlock Holmes movies' take on the famous detective compares to previous ones. Why do you think the filmmakers decided to up the action and violence in these films?
Why does Watson put up with Holmes' shenanigans, especially when they interfere with his relationship to his betrothed?
How does this film handle its good-versus-evil theme? Are the good and bad sides always clearly defined? Is that important?
| Topics: | book characters, friendship |
| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Guy Ritchie |
| Cast: | Jared Harris, Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr. |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 129 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 16, 2011 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material |
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