Steinesongo Too many fans seem to be blown away

Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Rpgcatech Disapointment

Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

pete36 Holmes meets his ultimate nemesis : Professor Moriarty, who becomes an arms (and bandages!) dealer and wants to stir up a war between France and Germany so he can start making some serious money. That's the plot in a nutshell but it's all more complicated then that ofcourse.I was expecting another dumb blockbuster with lots of fighting and explosiosn and the first 15 minutes seem to confirm this but then the movie really takes in a rollercaster ride and moves at such an incredible pace it's difficult to keep up ! Highlights are the banter between Holmes and Watson, Stephe, Fry as MyCroft, incredible chases, gunfights including the incredible scene where Holmes and his gang gets almost blown to smithereens by German artilleryfire.Director Guy Ritchie provides a perfect bland between action and smart dialogue and at the same indulges in his obsession for firearms (the sniper!).Add the high production values and the perfect recreation of 1891 and you got a real winner !

jacobstevens-29877 I was a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr.'s performance in the first Sherlock Holmes, and while I was excited to see him again as Sherlock on screen, I was afraid I would be let down by yet another sequel. However, that was not the case at all! Sherlock in a Game of Shadows by far blew away my expectations and surpassed the first movie in my eyes. Sherlock is wittier than ever, while at the same time more stealthy, serious, and plays an amazing protagonist to the Antagonist Professor James Moriarty. Whether it be an action packed scene, funny dialogue, or just plain enjoyment, I was thoroughly enjoyed and hooked in from start to finish.

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.

CinemaClown Despite making the right move of heading into the darker territory, the follow-up chapter to Sherlock Holmes fails to capitalise on the excellent platform provided by its predecessor and is a highly disappointing sequel that presents a downgrade in each storytelling element, tries too hard to be funny, and is also marred by its poor rendition of Holmes' arch-enemy.Following the events of the first film, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows continues the adventures of Detective Holmes & his companion, Dr. Watson, as they travel across Europe in a race to prevent their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty, from executing his sinister plot of starting a global war, only to find that their enemy is always one step ahead.Directed by Guy Ritchie, A Game of Shadows features more style & visual flair than its already impressive predecessor but fails to add anything of substance to its story or characters. Art direction is incredibly alluring, Camera-work adds a few more tricks up its sleeve but the use of slow-motion shots borders on excessive, Editing is terrible while Hans Zimmer's score is very much a rehash of the original.Coming to the performances, Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law reprise their respective roles of Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson and while their chemistry works, their performance was much better in the last picture. The new additions include Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace & Stephen Fry and all of them disappoint for Harris' Moriarty isn't intimidating at all, Rapace just wanders around while Fry is annoying at times.On an overall scale, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is inferior on all levels for this sequel completely fails to build on the solid foundation of its predecessor, is tedious to sit through, offers nothing captivating enough to keep the interest alive, and despite the modest expectations, fails to recreate the magic of the original. Putting more emphasis on action than its plot or characters, A Game of Shadows is an inferior, insipid & uninspiring movie that ends up making a mockery of two of Arthur Conan Doyle's greatest creations.