Orwell Huxley ...was the reason I gave this flick just 5 stars.This is not a western, Mr. Zimmer. And stealing from, err, quoting Mr. Morricone won't bring you any further. The story is OK, the special effects are awesome, and the acting is brilliant.Also, the restored London of the 19th century is just a spectacular sight. Marvelous! Anyway, 5 stars are OK.

theVade Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was ultimately the better of the two films, and was honestly a fun and entertaining movie. Although the movie suffered from pacing issues in the first half of the film, the villain and twist definitely made up for the boring first half. And even though I wanted to give this film a "Very Good" on theVade Review Bar, an alright first half and a very good second half just don't add up to be a "Very Good" in the end. So with that being said, I decided to give Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows a "Good" on theVade Review Bar or a 7 out of 10. It is a fun film with one of the best villains I've ever seen, and yet it suffers from some minor pacing issues. But still go out and watch this film as the third installment might be on its way very shortly..Read more at theVade.

tomgillespie2002 In 2009 Sherlock Holmes was re-imagined by Guy Ritchie as an ass- kicking and mentally unstable private investigator with a weakness for a variety of mind-altering substances. Played by Robert Downey Jr., Holmes was Iron Man without the vast fortune, super-suit and fashionable beard, but with the same genius-level intellect, capable of predicting the exact outcome of a fight with a foe before the first punch is thrown. Though heavily compromised by Ritchie's sledgehammer subtlety and love for annoying Cockney geezers, it was still an entertaining take on an extremely familiar character, with Downey Jr. at his twitchy best and demonstrating a convincing English accent.A Game of Shadows, the bloated sequel rushed into production after the international success of its predecessor, turns the doctor from idiosyncratic eccentric to a babbling pantomime. When we meet Holmes, he is rescuing his flame Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) from a bomb intended for somebody else. The package was given to her by the scheming Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), and after her next meeting with him, she disappears. On the eve of his wedding, Dr. Watson (Jude Law) arrives at Baker Street to find Holmes deep into investigating a splurge of seemingly unrelated murders and business acquisitions linked to Moriarty, and at Watson's bachelor party, the two encounter a gypsy woman named Simza (Noomi Rapace), the intended recipient of the letter that accompanied the bomb.Without any sign of the storytelling flair of the books, A Game of Shadows becomes little more than a series of punch-ups, shoot-outs and inane exchanges between Holmes and his trusted Watson. At one point, the heroes are fired at by an increasingly ridiculous arsenal of machine guns as trees shatter and fireballs explode around them in ultra slo-mo. Any resemblance to one of literatures most beloved characters is lost, and it feels instead like you're watching a movie about The Transporter's British granddad, albeit with a touch more style. Mad Men's Harris is impressive as Holmes's most challenging foe, but Rapace's character is so redundant that she is reduced to just a pretty face for the poster. Shockingly, the main problem is Downey Jr., whose hyperactive shtick is as tiresome as the plot he is caught up in.

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.