SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

basyaehrman There are way too many negative reviews so I want to add my piece. This film is GREAT. It has fantastic acting, awesome style, great lines, entertainment, intelligence, and action. It kept going and kept me riveted and I finished it with a smile; the ending was very satisfying. Of course Downey and Law are the stars here but the other actors were fantastic too. It was nice having McAdams back but also nice that they let her character go- Sherlock Holmes is not a romance. I like the way they gave the story and the characters true evolution and loved the new character, Simza. She was so well played. The gypsies added a fun, new touch and meeting Holmes's brother expanded the world we're meeting. I loved the period sets and innnovations - from the arms to the oxygen puffer. Labs, Holmes's newly redecorated flat and "office", opera, weapons warehouse, horse riding through the woods and sneaking across borders, references to the political situation (accurately showing a world on the brink of WWI, of the modern era) - these all made a well-rounded adventure.I'm happy to own this movie and shall rewatch it soon.

D Walt I've kept this on my quasi-monthly list to watch. The intrigue between Moriarity and Holmes, through deceit, chess, or chemistry. Tribute to Basil Rathbone...this works wonderfully in this day and age.

HotToastyRag Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. While I still maintain that the films would have been more enjoyable if the casting were reversed, the way each character is written is cemented even further in this second installment. Robert Downey Jr. is the eccentric detective, and Jude Law is the boring, superfluous straight man who's consistently annoyed by his partner's antics. The setting for this film is Jude Law's wedding to Kelly Reilly. In the art of storytelling, when a character is married the audience is usually supposed to see that his or her journey is complete and their usefulness to the plot is over. So, Jude Law's character is viewed as even more boring and superfluous!As Jude and Kelly are supposed to be enjoying their honeymoon, the famed villain Moriarty, played by Jared Harris, attacks, leaving Bob to save the day, and leaving Jude to continuously complain that he'd rather be enjoying his wife than fighting bad guys. Still, if you liked the first film, Sherlock Holmes, you'll probably like the sequel. The action-comedies are pretty similar, and director Guy Ritchie returns with his slow-motion action scenes. These aren't my favorite Sherlock Holmes films, but they're not terrible either. I just would have preferred Jude Law as the lead.

classicalsteve One of the first criminal-geniuses in genre fiction is Professor Moriarty, the ever-present nemesis of Sherlock Holmes. The latter calls him "The Napoleon of Crime". Part of a successful Holmes film is how well Moriarty is portrayed. In this installment of the Robert Downey/Jude Law Sherlock Holmes film series, Moriarty is played by Jared Harris, a British actor and one of the best casting choices for the role to date. (Andrew Scott also makes a fine Moriarty, albeit a younger version, in the updated-modernized "Holmes" BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.) Prior to Moriarty, few if any criminal-geniuses were portrayed in genre literature, and Conan Doyle's creation remains one of the best. (Later characters in genre fiction of a similar nature include the Joker, Mr. Ripley, Lex Luther, and Dr. Hannibal Lecter.)The film is at first rather confusing. We learn there have been a series of unexplained explosions around London causing lots of carnage, dismay, grief, and fascination for Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.). A woman then carries a package to a wealthy older man attending an art auction, which turns out to be a bomb discovered by you-know-who. Inside the bomb-package is a letter addressed to a gypsy fortune teller who practices at a cabaret in London. During a bachelor party for Dr. Watson (Jude Law), Holmes intervenes to save the gypsy from an assassin. We don't quite understand the connection between the gypsy and the bombings until well into the film.Holmes soon realizes Moriarty, who fronts as an Oxford professor, is behind the attacks, but he doesn't know why. He meets with the professor at his office at Oxford and there Moriarty claims he is intrigued with Holmes' abilities, the only reason Holmes hasn't been blown to bits like other lesser Londoners. They agree to engage in a chess match of sorts. Moriarty, in true Conan Doyle style, believes he will outdo Holmes. Thereafter, Sherlock and Watson meet with his brother, Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry) who indicates he will be attending a peace conference in Switzerland where the major powers will negotiate to prevent an international war. Eventually, as events plays out, the peace conference and Moriarty's scheming will intersect.The typical devices of the first film are all here, particularly the slow-motion flash-backs and action sequences with Holmes' voice-over describing what's "really happened". Although much of the movie is probably not what Doyle had in mind, Downey still makes a splendid Holmes, always playing his character just a bit understated. Jude Law reprises as the straight-man Dr. Watson, although his character is not quite as well-developed as Martin Freeman's interpretation of the character in "Sherlock". Highest marks for Jared Harris as Moriarty who nearly steals the show. Despite some of the confusion at the beginning, it's enjoyable once the plot becomes clear.