A Game of Shadows, Sherlock Holmes 2 - A review. . .Part one

To be fair, we had really lousy seats, for what would be a very disappointing evening at the movies.
Not being a Guy Richie fan in the first place, I have to wonder if all his movies are terrible from a seat within the first six or so rows.
With that said; I found the movie a very chaotic waste of time, with only a couple redeeming qualities.
The first  fifteen, twenty minutes (it seemed like hours) or so of plot development almost put one to sleep.
The plot line was very weak, with Holmes and Watson running all over Europe with very little purpose.
The visuals and CG stuff were over the top and over used. With the pace such that you could not enjoy the atmosphere and period the film was suppose to portray.
The actress playing Mary was under used, and the gypsies were not needed (although she did participate in a probably wonderful fight sequences if you were not sitting so close to the screen.)
Guy seems to want to drag Holmes', and this time Watson's, habits and hygiene even farther into the mud. To such a degree that Mrs. Hudson would not have put up with it.
His slapstick humor only seems to be a slap in the face of our favorite characters as if his intent is to soil the images of Holmes and Watson.
While at the same time, Moriarty was portrayed,( wonderfully be the actor), straight and sincere.
Guy once again wasted the opportunity to use and show off what could have been some wonderful set pieces.
You can understand why Irene took a dive early in the movie.
The back and forth between Holmes and Watson was over done, almost to the point of being 'Dumb and Dumber'.
I really wanted to like this one, and was hoping the would improve on the first, but I was disappointed.
I did like the dialogs between Moriarty and Holmes,(and the use of the chess game), and the mutual respect between the two came out in those scenes. But when you look at how Holmes is portrayed in these two movies, would that mutual respect really be there?
Moran was well done.
Mary is, once again, well played and one of the strongest personalities in the movie, and since Guy was not really following any story line anyway, could have been used more.
The lines and scenes he did kidnap from the canon were ill-placed, he may as well have added a deerstalker and a calabash pipe.
Mycroft is a buffoon and was unnecessary to the plot.
The bonding between Holmes and Watson, and the affection between the two, was portrayed well a couple of times. It has been said that slapstick was necessary to make this happen. What do you think?
The fights would probably have been great from a seat further back.
The CG castle for the final showdown was too James Bond.
And the chaotic nature of the filming did not allow the viewer to enjoy the costumes and props used in the film.
I will watch the movie again, on DVD, and review it again and see if not sitting so close up front makes a difference. I hope so.
Lots of other local Sherlockians were at the show last night, as was Wayne. So I hope he gives his perspective so to speak, because he had a better seat.
See it at a rush hour discounted show.
Wayne, when you can, add your thoughts.