Let me say this first:
The current Sherlock Holmes franchise would be non-existent without the stories of Alan Moore. SH the modern franchise takes place in a world very like the one Moore created for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It is Moore’s take on SH that began this line of thinking about Victoriana.
Anyway, in this 2nd entry we finally see Moriarty’s face. He’s played by the glorious beard of Jared Harris (Mad Men); and he is done rather well. Moriarty has been modified to be more of a counterpart to Downey Jr’s energetic Holmes; as a man who’s not afraid of getting his hands dirty.
There’s also a glorious cameo from Naomi Rapace ( The original Girl w/ Dragon Tattoo) as a gypsy and Rachel McAdams returns as Irene Addler.
Basically, Moriarty is engaged in the same plot as Die Zwielichthelden in companion materials from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen; as in he’s trying to start WW1 and has placed himself to make a substantial amount of money from the bloodshed. Of course Sherlock has worked this out and must borrow Jude Law from his honeymoon to stop the bastard.
This film works mostly because of the repartee between Watson and Holmes. Jude Law makes John Watson an interesting character on his own (Not so in Sir Conan Doyle’s work) and they have a great back and forth.
And there’s a bunch of special effects, but the film is carried by the charm of the actors.
Worth seeing in the theater. Lots of fun.