Sherlock Gnomes

The original "Gnomeo & Juliet" movie was a sweet spin on the Shakespeare
inspired story of Romeo and Juliet, but with two clans of gnomes at war
with the main destruction being to each other's gardens.  Two star-crossed
lovers, Gnomeo & Juliet fall in love and after all the chaos, hate, and
near death experiences, both "gnomes houses" seek a truce and learn to
co-exist.
In the sequel, the gnomes move to London.  Juliet (Emily Blunt) is so
preoccupied with rebuilding the garden, she fails to notice Gnomeo's (James
MacAvoy) needs and feelings.   In other parts of London, Sherlock Gnomes
(Johnny Depp) and his faithful companion Watson (Chiwetel Eljiofor) are
investigating the disappearance of several gnomes throughout London.  One
day, Gnomeo attempts at a romantic gesture goes awry when he tries to steal
an orchid for Juliet from a flower shop.  Juliet ends up saving Gnomeo,
causing them to bicker and squabble and not realize all their gnome friends
and family were kidnapped.  One thing leads to another and they find
themselves teaming up with Sherlock and Watson to track down all the clues
in hopes of saving their loved ones.
From the director who brought us "Kung Fu Panda," this was a major misstep
for John Stevenson.  The movie was fast paced, but the story line was very
disjointed.  I understand what angle they were attempting to hit here:
Don't take your loved ones for granted, but I just could not connect with
the characters.  In the first film, they really focused on the
relationships between Gnomeo and his mother, Juliet and her father, and both
Gnomeo and Juliet.  Those relationships were lost in this film.  From the
adult perspective, the movie lacked depth, but was still entertaining.
However, the kiddos on hand loved it.  They enjoyed all the high flying
suspenseful moments, the potty humor, and over the top one liners.
2 out of 5 stars