I fully intended to see Sherlock 2 in the theaters when it was released during the holiday season last year, but apparently being overshadowed is something this franchise is getting used to.  The first film was fun enough, featuring just the right amount of derring-do with mystery solving.  Though I think you’d be hard pressed to be able to follow along at home, the clues are far too subtle for my tastes and that really knocked the wind out of the fun.  The fact that the first adventure was an entire set up to introduce a bigger, badder villain in Moriarty is also annoying.  So, I instead sang the praises of Avatar.

This time around, it was Ethan Hunt that made me excited to go see some killer action on the big screen.  And it looks like once again, I made the right choice.  See, what Robert Downey is sadly trying to do is create his own mash-up of House and Captain Jack Sparrow.  Which only works in small doses.  In this second feature, the plot gets even more overloaded, with so many words tumbling out of characters mouths, I thought perhaps directing duties had fallen to Kevin Smith.  What happened to Guy Richie’s smash-mouth approach to action?  And why did he repeat the same mistake in making the mystery impossible for the audience to play along?

To his credit, Jude Law crushes this one out of the ball park, though it’s hard not to think he’s feeling a bit above all the antics of his cohort. And I’m not just talking about being in character as Dr. Watson, either.  Similarly, Jared Harris (hilarious in Igby Goes Down) is a dastardly villain that obviously is Holmes’ superior, which makes the anti-climatic ending all the more infuriating. The fact that it’s further marred by an abuse of slow-mo, bring me very nearly to the ‘throw popcorn at the screen level’ of movie going hatred.

Still, there are gems within the rough:  Several action sequences including a train, and another involving a frickin’ tank!   There is also the fan service for those who adore slashing the mystery solving duo, which is quite welcome!   And while this is obviously going to continue to be a franchise supported in the future as long as there is money left on the table, I have to suggest perhaps in the future they don’t just hit the amplify button so prone to sequel making.  And they might want to stop releasing them during the holidays, so they won’t be overshadowed by better films.

(As for my grade, see if you can solve the mystery by clicking on my photo.)