Al's Top 100 Least Favorite Movies Part 1

As much of a cinema nerd as I am, I’ve always toyed and tinkered around with trying to create a solid top 100 list of best and favorite movies.  It’s never been truly definitive, because tastes change in time; I tend to love certain movies one moment, only to discover later that they had weaknesses or no real lasting power.

Thus, I decided to recalculate things.  Instead of focusing just on movie ratings and my gut instinct, I analyzed each film’s entertainment value, storytelling prowess, craftsmanship, and perhaps most importantly, whether or not a film truly resonates with me.  The results have been surprising, but I got to admit, it makes for a list that I can truly call definitive.

Before I divulge into talking about my faves, I’ve also taken the liberty of looking at the bottom of the list, to create a top 100 list of least favorite movies.  These are movies that barely entertain (those that achieve a good entertainment score are often entertaining for all the wrong reasons), have terrible stories, and show poor craftsmanship.  It’s pretty darn incredible to think that I’ve managed to sit through all of these, and it’s a little disconcerting that I actually own some of these.  A few are highly-regarded, but I’ve never been one to allow acclaim and prestige to skew my opinions; whether it’s a polished arthouse work, a multi-million-dollar blockbuster, or something made in a dude’s back yard...if it rubbed me the wrong way, it made the list.  Chances are good that my opinion could be totally changed on some of these, but at the time of this writing, this list is definitive (and most of these films are really bad).

So, without further ado, here it is…Al’s Top 100 Worst Movies:

100:  Inland Empire

Three letters define this film...WTF?!!

This movie makes it at the very brink of the list because it is easily the weirdest film I’ve ever seen.  And yes, it is weirder than Eraserhead. In fact, both films are made by the same director:  David Lynch.  Eraserhead is a so weird and memorable of a trip that it manages to come off as a work of brilliance in its own twisted way; Inland Empire is more like an epic convoluted mess.  It runs for three hours, and is loaded up with scenes that make very little sense (including numerous scenes in which a family of bunny rabbits sit in a living room).  Those who are artistically inclined will likely draw solid interpretations and theories from the film, and may even declare it a masterpiece in its own right.  As for myself, I’m left wondering “what the Hell was that?!”

Entertainment:  Marginal | Story:  Poor | Film:  Average | Resonance:  Marginal
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99:  Eat, Pray, Love

Naturally, romance movies aren’t my forte.  Most fall in the vast gray area in between being “good” and “bad.” But this one makes the list because I have an exceptional abhorrence towards it.  For the most part, I feel that the main character is a flake; she goes through the motions of finding enlightenment of sorts, but her international journey comes off as a contrived and shallow effort.  Without learning or understanding anything, it’s just a movie about a dippy woman who travels, eats a lot, talks to people, finds a cool dude, falls in love, and that’s it.  Come to think of it, that’s much of a story, is it? The best that can be said is that the film looks pretty.

Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Poor | Film:  Good | Resonance:  Very Low
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98:  Jaws:  The Revenge

Stalk much?

Look out! The shark will follow you across the world and eat you! Jaws 3-D was pushing things as it was; it entertained, but it also had some fairly dumb moments.  This fourth installment is just all-around asinine, as it is dull and unmemorable.  I recommend the first two movies instead.

Funnily enough, this is not the only movie on the list involving sharks…

Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Average | Film:  Average | Resonance:  None
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97:  Behind Enemy Lines

Run away from the film! RUN!!!

This was a fairly promising, action-packed war flick of sorts.  It has a very simple, easily-digestible premise, loaded up with frequent action scenes and a gripping struggle for survival.  In professional hands (maybe from somebody like Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, etc), it could have really been something epic.  As it is, the film is a stylistic mess.  It seems that more than half of it is filmed with the erratic hand-held shakey-cam effect…but then the film speeds it up, slows it down, and pauses for some frames, serving to turn an already unbearable filming style into brutal torture.  And without any substance in the story to redeem it, the film comes off as a gaudy and indistinct.  While I’m sure this film has a following, I find it way too agitating to watch.

Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Marginal | Film:  Quite Poor | Resonance:  Low
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96:  Halloween:  Resurrection

I’ve never been wholly fond of the Halloween movies to start with; I find the first one rather dull, and actually prefer the second, third, and fourth ones instead.  Number five was somewhat entertaining; I don’t care for number six; H20 looks slick, but I don’t care for it that much.  So, Halloween:  Resurrection is the eighth in the series; it pits Michael Meyers against a group of kids with cameras.  That means the film itself is shot from the point-of-view from those cameras, giving the film that same shakey and erratic hand-held charm that went into the Blair Witch Project.  The story for this is extremely thin, and the characters tend to be quite stupid.  Thus, the film proves to be only marginally entertaining (and certainly not scary).

Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Poor | Film:  Poor | Resonance:  Low
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95:  Dragonball:  Evolution

Hollywood’s attempt to bring the popular anime series to the big screen resulted in a film that’s all style and no substance…as usual.  I still haven’t seen the original DBZ, but I keep hearing good things about it, and this movie makes a butchery out of it.  The story? It has something to do with a kid getting all superpowered and stopping a green bad guy from doing evil stuff.  The film? Rather cheap and cheesy. Does it entertain? Somewhat, but interested parties can probably do better with the original Japanese cartoon.

Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Poor | Film:  Poor | Resonance:  Low
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94:  Rebirth of Mothra II

The first Rebirth of Mothra film is so stupid, so cheap, so awful in its execution, it makes me laugh for the whole two hours, turning it into one of the most unintentionally funny films of all time.  I think that’s the only reason why it didn’t make this list, but its sequel did.  This sequel sets out to be a little more earnest, but winds up being less entertaining or memorable that way.  At this point, all I remember about it is the big, fluffy, fake-looking moth, and a bunch of people running around some pyramids or something.  Chances are that kids might dig this material, but I seriously don’t recommend either Rebirth of Mothra films.

Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Poor | Film:  Poor | Resonance:  Low
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93:  Twin Daggers

A moderately entertaining martial arts action flick, but of a rather poor quality.  I don’t really remember the story for this, but I do remember that the fight scenes, and most setpieces, are quite cheap and cheesy.

Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Poor | Film:  Very Poor | Resonance:  Low

92:  Hologram Man

This could be the most entertaining film on this list; it’s loaded up with lots of shootouts and fights and stuff! However, this film is as cheap as they come, especially in regards to its special effects.  The story for this is quite absurd.  Like a hologram, it’s fun, but lacking in solid substance.

Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Marginal | Film:  Awful | Resonance:  Marginal
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91:  Scary Movie 2

The bird's cute...until it starts defecating on the walls for no reason...

The first Scary Movie movie pushed my limit for what’s tasteful and “funny.” This follow-up offers much more of the same, including a lot more sick, gross, and vulgar comedy.  It disgusted me ten years ago; if I revisit it today, I predict that it still won’t make me laugh that much, even if I could stomach the crudeness.  The film has nothing much beneath the surface either; the story is as weak as it could possibly be (despite the comedic possibility of lampooning haunted house stories), and the film shows minimal craftsmanship.

Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Very Poor | Film:  Marginal | Resonance:  Marginal
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90:  Creepshow 3

Your face after watching this movie.

This series just isn’t much without George A Romero and Stephen King behind the wheel.  This comes off as a Creepshow wannabe; its spirit is misdirected, the stories are all wrong, and the film itself seems amateurish.  It is mildly interesting at times, but hardly enough to call it worth the time.  It’s much better to stick with the first two movies.  Want more? There are always films like Tales from the Dark Side, Cat’s Eye, Trick R Treat, and Chillerama to quench your thirst for horror story anthologies.  By all means, stay away from this monstrosity!

Entertainment:  Average | Stories:  Poor | Film:  Poor | Resonance:  Marginal
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89:  Jade Warrior

Interestingly, this is a Finnish film about Chinese warriors and stuff.  The film does have its nice, visual moments, and the story tries its best to create a good narrative structure.  Unfortunately, the movie fails to really capture interest, especially since there are myriads of better epics out there.

Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Poor | Film:  Poor | Resonance:  Low
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88:  Ocean’s Eleven (1960)

This original caper has all the star power and tries its best to be snazzy.  Back in the day, it probably was.  These days, it’s fallen in the shadow of Stephen Soderbergh’s hip and stylish remake, which blows all this out of the water.  Even on its own merits, the original Ocean’s 11 is not really all that thrilling, and I couldn’t care less about its story or craftsmanship.

Entertainment:  Poor | Story:  Average | Film:  Average | Very Low
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87:  Manchurian Candidate (2004)

I believe in Harvey Dent.  ...oops, wrong movie...

The original Manchurian Candidate had enough substance to go with its style; in fact, the substance is pretty hard-hitting, if you stop to consider the possibilities.  Adapting this same story for the modern age just doesn’t work all that well; the basic concept of brainwashing a political candidate could certainly be possible at any era, but the story in this remake comes off as way too convoluted, trying too hard to mix up the old with the new.  Even with quality actors putting on quality performances, none of the characters really stood out.  The film offers some really trippy effects, but overall it’s still not as effective as the original.  In all fields, the original film dominates.

Entertainment:  Poor | Story:  Average | Film:  Average | Resonance:  Very Low
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86:  The Doomsday Machine

Spacemen travel in style!

A fairly entertaining sci-fi flick, about a group of astronauts sent into space as the world explodes.  So naturally, it’s up to them to settle somewhere and repopulate the species.  It’s a fairly interesting plot, marred by one too many stupid moments, and further inhibited by an extremely weak production value.  The redeeming value is, among all B-movies, this one does entertain.

Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Marginal | Film:  Awful | Resonance:  Marginal
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85:  Cloverfield

The one and only cool scene in the movie.

This production had a promising concept.  The idea of presenting this monster invasion story all from the perspective of a dude’s camera (taping over some footage of an old girlfriend) does offer solid narrative and stylistic opportunities.  Unfortunately, with the first half-hour spent at a stupid party filled with stupid immature kids, I was left hating all of them and wishing the monster would devour them all.  When the awesome action scenes do finally appear, it’s way too hard to see what’s going on, thanks to the herky-jerky camera movements.   I think I’ll stick with Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla, thank you very much…

Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Average | Film:  Very Poor | Resonance:  Low
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84:  The People That Time Forgot

The one and only cool place in the movie.

This follow-up to The Land That Time Forgot presents a mildly interesting adventure that pits explorers against natives, with lots of crazy erupting volcanoes and stuff.  It entertains okay, but doesn’t really have an engaging story, and part of the film look pretty darn cheap and gaudy.  At this point, I’m ready to forget about this film, just like time did.

Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Poor | Film:  Poor | Resonance:  Low
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83:  Three Kingdoms:  Resurrection of the Dragon

You know, after seeing so many historical epics coming out of Asia, they all start to run together.  I don’t even remember what’s so great about this movie, much less what could set it apart from Mulan, Red Cliff, War of the Arrows, Warlords, that Genghis Kahn movie, or God knows what else.  Mildly entertaining, but utterly forgettable.

Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Poor | Film:  Poor | Resonance:  Low
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82:  Kull the Conqueror

That’s right, Kevin Sorbo, the dude who once played Hercules, starred in his very own fantasy epic.  He tried his best to best the machismo of Conan the Barbarian, but he resulted in making a movie out of nothing but cheese.  I can’t say I remember the plot, and I certainly couldn’t tell you if it really matters or not.  That’s just how memorable this schlock is.

Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Poor | Film:  Average| Resonance:  None
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81:  Scary Movie 4

You know, I actually found this one (along with #3) way funnier than the first two Scary Movie movies.  That doesn’t mean it’s really that great.  This storyline pretty much rehashes the exact same formula of Scary Movie 3, and just swaps out the movies and pop culture references that the movie parodied.  The result:  a movie that looks and acts the part, but is dumber than dirt.

Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Awful | Film:  Average | Resonance:  Very Low
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80:  Superman IV:  The Quest for Peace

Watching this movie makes me scream and shoot lightning from my hands, just like this!

Wow, I didn’t think it could get worse than Superman III, but somehow it did.  I’ll hand it to the film that it does achieve some level of coolness with Nuclear Man, and his epic pursuit of the Man of Steel.  The story is noble, as it tries to emphasize nuclear disarmament, but it also comes off as pushy (and perhaps a little naive, for us right-wing folks).  Thanks to a barrage of budget cuts and cutting corners, the film suffers tremendously, and it really is the worst Superman movie to date (hopefully, it’ll stay that way; I got high hopes for Zack Snyder’s upcoming reboot).

Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Very Poor | Film:  Poor | Resonance:  Low
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To be continued...

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Fire from the Gods

“Prometheus”

Expectations for Ridley Scott’s return to the universe he established in “Alien” have been high, to say the least.  So bloody high that the film falls short for lots of people.  While I suspect that most viewers went into this movie expecting a deep, mind-blowing cinematic masterpiece, I went in wanting nothing more than a solid piece of science fiction.  I didn’t want my mind blown, I didn’t expect the film’s quality to surpass “Alien” at all, and I didn’t even expect the film to move all that fast.

In spite of that, the film met my expectations.  The film is gorgeous throughout, sporting impressive visual effects and camerawork.  Its far better paced than I expected; I find “Prometheus” way more eventful than “Alien” (even though the two films were originally meant to be separate and distinct, it’s too hard not to compare the two).  There are some gnarly, disgusting, and agonizing scenes of creature horror.  There’s even a nice bit of action and peril towards the end.  With a sense of mystery in the first half and a ton of crazy horror in the last act, the film is pretty darn thrilling.  If there’s any drag, it’d be in the middle, after the initial discoveries, and before all heck breaks lose.

The story for this has some interesting ambition (although its achievement will be questionable by some).  The nature of the story prompts frequent theological discussion, but it never really states anything conclusive.  The plot for this mirrors “Alien” quite a bit, hitting up a lot of the same plot points.  What makes “Prometheus” more engaging is that it’s not just a straightforward man-vs-alien struggle; it’s fueled by curiosity and the need to solve the universe’s deepest mysteries.  The film manages to bring up a lot of strange, interesting, and mysterious things as it goes on, and never fully answers everything.  This will leave many to claim that the film is shallow, pretentious, or just plain stupid.  Others may be confused and frustrated.  Personally, I found myself wishing for more answers, but ultimately arrived to my own conclusions (I’m not even sure if a sequel is really warranted, but if it brings more answers, then I think we’d all welcome it).  As far as “Prometheus” being an “Alien” prequel:  the connections between the two films were very slight, up until the very last shot, which was likely tacked-on to please the fans and provide more sequel bait.  And as far as characters go, they met my expectations.  It’s not like “Alien” had really grand depth in their characters, so “Prometheus” pretty much provides more of the same. 

The film is quite slick.  I loved the photography and imagery.  Acting is swell; I thought Michael Fassbender was perfect; I generally enjoyed Noomi Rapace’s performance; Charlize Theron’s character was not particularly likable, but was still interesting; everybody else fulfilled their roles just fine and dandy.  Writing seems to be the culprit of the film’s issues; the dialogue is not very sophisticated (even though it is lively and amusing enough), and the plot overall could have used some refinement.  This production does have wonderful-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects.  It is especially interesting to see a lot more influences by HR Giger (including one of his rejected designs for “Dune”).  Music is pretty elegant at times.

“Alien” was released thirty-three years ago with mixed reviews, but is now regarded as a masterpiece.  “Blade Runner” received a mixed reception on its release thirty years ago.  Now “Prometheus” is out…with mixed reviews.  Time will tell whether or not Ridley Scott’s latest film will be revered in the same light as his older works.  As it is now, I can only recommend it as a rental when the disc comes out.

4.5/5 (entertainment:  4.5/5, story:  4/5, film:  4.5/5)

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A Day in Northumbria

The weekend before last, we were gifted with some beautiful and unnaturally hot weather (and to think, I once complained that it was unnaturally cold for a while).  While the sun prevailed, I decided to take a day off and take a ride to Northumbria.  There are many fantastic sights and castles to be seen in this English district; running along the coast north of Newcastle, we were able to visit Warkworth Castle and Dunstanburgh Castle.

Warkworth is a castle I remember well, for I had visited it several years earlier.  Despite the ruined state of the bailey, its walls are still tall and impressive.  Its gatehouse is especially noteworthy, for it has multiple gates that, in the medieval times, would have trapped unwanted guests; archers behind the walls would have turned the gatehouse into a merciless kill zone.  Beyond the gates, there are some ruined towers, and one impressively-intact keep.  From the keep, it is possible to see the nearby town of Amble, the ocean beyond, and a lighthouse in the distance.

Warkworth Castle

Dunstanburgh Castle required a substantial walk from the small coastal town of Craster; it took at least thirty minutes to cross the wide-open fields between the town and the castle.  Even from a distance, the castle is a unique sight, with its ruined round tower and its long wall stretching toward the sea.  A number of sheep and cows were grazing all around.  At the castle, I didn't have time to walk around its grounds (I needed another thirty minutes to walk back to town; if I lingered around the castle any longer, I feared the gates would have closed).  As it is, I saw a big tower on the other end of the castle grounds.

Dunstanburgh Castle

In between the two castles, we stumbled upon a beach near Warkworth that was hardly occupied.  On any other English day, it probably would have been cold and dreary; on this day, it was a magnificent pleasure to feel the hot sand and cool ocean water at our feet.  I realized that it had been years since I've visited a proper beach; even though I didn't come prepared for a swim, it was still refreshing and inspirational to walk along the shoreline.

Warkworth beach, with a heavy mist from the ocean spray.

In spite of all these activities, we never did find the time to explore Holy Island, Bamburgh, or Lindisfarne, which would have been our next destinations.  There just wasn't enough time in the day to visit them all; on the plus side, this leaves more for us to do on a future excursion.

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Cold Spring, Hot Summer

Here in England, it seems as though we've had nothing but cold, dark, rainy weather for the entire spring time.  There were a few nice days in March, but the rest has been nothing but coldness.  I don't think I've ever seen the cold last this long; it was getting rather disconcerting.

Fortunately, the last few days have cleared up perfectly, and we've been blessed with perfect summer weather.  It's so perfect, it's almost become unnaturally hot for England.  It's ultimately weird how his spring has embodied both the extreme cold and the extreme heat in such a short time frame.

The sheep are watching...

Having endured so many cold days, I was compelled to drive around and explore someplace new.  One lunch break, I took a walk around Fewston reservoir, which was nice in itself.  After work, I went to Grimwith reservoir and went for a loner hike.  Sure, it's not quite as thrilling as visiting a place like London or Leeds or a major historic site; the problem is, such places tend to be crowded, busy, and stressful.  In both cases, the scenery was gorgeous.  Both areas were exquisitely quiet and tranquil.  Not only do places like these produce nice photos, but they are relaxing.  It feels very down-to-Earth to be among natural beauty.  Even if the good weather doesn't prevail, I was more than happy to have visited these places.

Grimwith Reservoir.

As far as writing goes, it's been going, believe it or not.  My five-year endeavor on "Angel-Craft" might finally be coming to an end, but there is still much work to do.  If there's time, I'll keep on working on my short stories as well, and hopefully post another one here soon.

Creepy sheep skull on the sign for Grimwith Reservoir.

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Five years of assembling; four superheroes; one epic movie!

“The Avengers.”

Over the past twelve years or so, the market has been pummeled by superhero films.  It’s gotten to the point where Marvel itself has become a studio all on its own, with the resources and corporate strength to make its own products and keep them uniform.  In the past five years, the releases of “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Thor,” and “Captain America” have all been carefully planned and marketed so that the ultimate mash-up of superheroes can be brought to the big screen.  With so many characters from so many different films by so many different directors starring so many different actors, I imagine that bringing all of these storylines together and making them coherent could have been disastrous under lesser talents (or, it could have easily been ruined by too much post-production tampering by studio executives, as it was with “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”).

Rest assured:  “The Avengers” is a well-oiled and carefully-constructed machine, which successfully pumps out the fun.  The action in the first half generally doesn’t disappoint; there are a whole bunch of impressive fight scenes among the different superheroes, and even among the minor characters, before things shape up and lead into a massive grand finale.  The mass destruction throughout the finale is truly awe-inspiring, and each hero gets their fair share of action.  But what really makes this film work is that the tone is perfect for this type of summer blockbuster.  There is enough humor throughout to keep the story light and fun, and to keep it accessible to all audiences.  It is every bit as fun of a superhero movie as every other superhero movie before it; as ambitious as the project is, however, it comes quite close to being the end-all be-all superhero film.

Fortunately, the film is not entirely shallow either.  If generally follows the same plot formula of “The Ultimate Avengers” cartoon that came out in 2006; this film version is far more in-depth, especially with its roots dug firmly in the previously-mentioned Marvel films.  Chances are that if you haven’t seen these other films, you may be missing out on some minor details concerning who the characters are, where they come from, what SHIELD is exactly, and how the various artifacts came together for “The Avengers.” Going into it blind may leave a few folks in the dark.  But even if you have the most basic knowledge of who the different characters are, you should be able to pick up on it and just enjoy the ride.  Even when the thrill ride isn’t running at full speed, the film manages to keep things rolling, thanks largely to the characters and their complex interactions.  Each character remains true to themselves, with hardly any scene or line that can be considered stupid or out-of-character.  Each character serves to reinforce the idea that the Avengers team is dysfunctional and dangerous.  There are probably some finer points that get buried (such as the fate of Betty Ross, or Jane Foster (which is mentioned just briefly), or Steve Rodger’s adjustment to the 21st century (which was cut from the film)); ultimately, there’s enough to the film where these points don’t even come to mind that much.

Cinematically, the film is every bit as slick and polished as the other Marvel films.  Photography is very solid, and looks good all the way through.  Editing is good.  Acting is top-notch:  just about every actor brings their A-game to the table.  Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and Samuel L Jackson all inhabit their characters very well.  Mark Ruffalo is not bad playing Bruce Banner; I do prefer Edward Norton and Eric Banna in the role, but Ruffalo’s performance is earnest and satisfying.  Writing all around is great; the dialogue is often witty, and maintains its focus on the characters perfectly.  This production spares no expense on the sets, props, costumes, and special effects.  Music isn’t bad either.

This film met my expectations perfectly.  Chances are that, thanks to the hype, some may find this film overrated.  Regardless, I don’t really see anything wrong with this film, and I feel no shame in granting it a perfect score.  Recommended!

5/5 (entertainment:  5/5, story:  4.5/5, film:  4.5/5)

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Time really is money.

"In Time"

How’s this idea for a scary future: everybody who lives past 25 years gets one more year to live, and all their time can be earned and spent as currency. It can be quite interesting to see this scenario and how it’s implemented; if nothing else, the film does a fine job of presenting its main concept and sticking with it. There is a fair amount of action (some fighting and car chases), but nothing that really stands out. Fortunately, the film never really bored me at all.

I found the story and concept to be quite interesting. Anybody who knows sci-fi inside-out may immediately draw some parallels to “Logan’s Run,” and given the standard dystopian setup, they may find this film quite predictable (although throughout the last hour or so, I felt this was some kind of sci-fi version of “Bonnie and Clyde,” and I thought it was cool that way). With the premise, there are a lot of inherent implications that can be drawn (with some help from the script, which makes clever use of time-themed phraseologies); the film seems to occasionally hint at the audience that time is short, time is precious, and we gotta make the most out of what little time we have. It also goes on to underscore the dichotomy between the rich and the poor (as do most dystopian stories). At the core, the story has a serviceable set of characters; they’re not mind-blowingly deep, but they aren’t totally boring either.

The film is competently made, with decent photography and editing. Acting is a mixed bag; it can be hard to take Justin Timberlake seriously, but he does have his moments. Amanda Seyfried is gorgeous and I loved watching her in her role; Cillian Murphy was pretty darn cool as the Timekeeper. Writing shows a few good strengths and a few bad weaknesses. This production has decent-looking sets, props, and costumes. It’s one of those movies that uses modern locales and props to show an ultramodern setting. Music is alright.

In the end, I didn’t really see that much wrong with this film.  I'd recommend it as a rental for anybody who's interested.

4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4/5, film: 4/5)

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"People have an innate desire for conflict."

"Sherlock Holmes:  A Game of Shadows"

This film is pretty much more of the same. Those who enjoyed the first “Sherlock Holmes” will likely enjoy this as well, with its wild visual flair, its explosive action scenes, and its amusing chemistry between the two leading characters (plus, some added chemistry with the villain). Those who didn’t like all this probably won’t like this sequel either.

You can definitely expect action in this film; there are plenty of fight scenes, some wild gunfighting, and a lot of stylish slow-motion scenes. I think it’s all pretty darn cool, but chances are that all this emphasis on style and action will be off-putting for many folks.

As far as the story goes, it’s a little disappointing to see that it’s very linear, with none of the mystery or intrigue that went into the first film (and all the classic stories). It works as a straightforward actioner, but not so much as a mystery. In fact, it reminds me a lot of “Tomorrow Never Dies.” Fortunately, the story continues to put the emphasis on the characters; Sherlock Holmes is as manic and ingenious as before, if not moreso, while Watson continues to serve as a quality foil character. What will really make this story worthwhile will be the revealing and exploration of Moriarty, whose intellect matches Sherlock’s, and causes the two to become entangled in a form of intellectual mortal combat (which takes on a literal interpretation in the film). It’s generally fun and satisfying, but still leaves a lot of room for further exploration (I’m assuming a third film will come along and form this into a cohesive trilogy).

Cinematically, it has much the same style as the first film. It’s very stylish with lots of interesting camera angles and trickery, and interesting editing. Acting is still very strong, with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law reprising their roles impeccably. Jared Harris plays Moriarty like a classic megalomaniac villain (which is good). I rather enjoyed watching Noomi Rapace in her role. Writing is about as strong as the first film. This production has an insane amount of quality sets, props, and costumes, with quality special effects. Music is still very folky (and it’s good that way).

Recommended only if you liked the first film.

4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 4.5/5)

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