Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes A Game Of Shadows was a great sequel that had great slow motion scenes and awesome fight scenes.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson did a very good job of saving the world from an evil professor named James Moriarty. Stephen Fry who played "Mycroft Holmes" Sherlock's brother was funny character that talks very English and he was strange sometimes. I thought that Noomi Repace who played "Madam Simza heron" did great job playing that character. And Jared Harris who played "Professor James Moriarty" was just as smart as Sherlock Holmes. And I thought the last fight scene in this movie was interesting. Sherlock and Moriaty could think different attacks on each other, that scene was intense.

The train scene was awesome,Sherlock disguised as a girl was funny. Also, the running scene in the forest was great.

This movie was very thrilling!

This movie was absolutely fantastic. I have been waiting for it for what feels like forever now and it truly did not disappoint. The storyline was clever, the dynamic between Watson and Holmes was charming and beautiful, and the effects were incredible. Honestly, as much of a fan I am of the first movie, its sequel surpassed it and my overall expectation. Some the effects were unnecessary at times, but I really enjoy the style in which these movies are edited. It can be slightly confusing periodically, another reason to rewatch, still pay attention closely. Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr.'s chemistry was compelling and the supporting actors were on par. I laughed, I nearly screamed, and I even cried. Game of Shadows is gripping, exciting, hilarious,and even draws tears. You'll be cheering throughout and satisfied with the end. Too be honest, it is absolutely one of the best movies of this year.

I, as a fan of Sherlock Holmes and of the portrayals given by Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett, personally loved the first Sherlock Holmes, it was fun, stylish and clever, with impeccably matched leads and a good villain, even with moments of annoying slow-motion, things getting convoluted and draggy in the second hour and Rachel McAdams.

Although the trailers suggested otherwise, I very much enjoyed this sequel. While there are a few improvements to the first film, it is overall not as good. My problems with the film come from the eventually annoying slow-motion in every fight sequence, it was fine at first but after a while it was overkill. I also felt there were too many characters some of whom don't have much time to develop, and instead are either come and go or blink and you'll miss. Lastly, the last forty-five minutes or so felt-like the first-rather sluggish in the pacing.

However, the film still looks wonderful, with the sets especially absolutely spectacular and a lot of effort is done into making the atmosphere evocative. The cinematography and lighting are also very good, with the lighting in particular giving some scenes a suitably haunting look. The music score is rousing, Guy Ritchie's direction is more efficient this time around, the first hour and a quarter or so goes at a cracking pace and more than makes up for the rather duller half and the dialogue especially with Holmes crackles.

Despite some of my criticisms, there were a couple of improvements. One was Noomi Rapace, whose appearance and style is much more suited to the period, McAdams as Irene gave it her all in the first but I sometimes found her hair and the way the character dressed jarring. Two is that apart from the draggy last act the story this time around is much more involving and contains much more going on to compel the viewer, the first was generally a great idea and was fun but got a little confusing by the end. Lastly, Jared Harris as Moriaty, Mark Strong was good but Moriaty as a whole is a more interesting villain, and I loved how cunning yet smooth Harris' performance was.

Not to mention Stephen Fry as Mycroft, a wonderful and very thoughtful performance in my view, and he even gets his own nude scene. In fact all the cast bring a lot of gusto to the roles even the sidelined(personally I found this a wise move) McAdams. I do wish though there was more of Eddie Marsan as Lestrade, his ineptness is such a great contrast to Holmes' more clever and inquisitive approach and I would have loved to have seen that come through more. Robert Downey Jnr once again is a very charismatic Holmes, and Jude Law as the more authoritative and composed character of Watson is also perfect. Again they are impeccably matched and work wonderfully together.

All in all, I found it very entertaining. Although there are a few things I preferred here, I did prefer the original, but this sequel compared to the film the trailers made it look is equally worthy. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Doesn't matter how you look at it, this movie is darn good fun. I loved it from opening credits to the close. So what if the acting is a bit over the top, so what if there are probably too many explosions and bullets and bombs. The end result is a thoroughly entertaining 2 hours at the movies with popcorn and Pearl and Dean ads. Moriarty is sufficiently creepy and played with restraint, Holmes is completely over the top but for me if its Robert Downey Jr there are no complaints. The story keeps moving and the action is terrific. The story is loosely based on the last book of the Conan Doyle's first series of Holmes stories ending with the famous Reisenbach Falls in Switzerland. It also gives a great image of early 20th century on the brink of the first world war. If you want to enjoy a good story with great imagery and costume then you will enjoy this, if you are looking for Sherlock ( wonderfully called Shirley by Mycroft ) as Conan Doyle intended then you may be disappointed.

We just got back from the earliest showing we could get a sitter for. I can say with confidence that my fears about this movie were totally unfounded, and I now hold Guy Ritchie and these writers in the highest regard. Without going into spoilers, here are the three concerns that were put entirely to rest: 1) After seeing the trailer, my biggest worry was the use of "bullet-time" type photography during a Victorian-era movie. I thought it would be completely anachronistic and pointless. However, they'd already established in this movie and the previous one that Holmes is hyper-aware of his surroundings. The bullet-time was used to convey how traumatic a couple of scenes were to someone with that type of awareness, and it worked beautifully.

2) Jared Harris looked so vanilla and soft in the promo pics and trailers that I couldn't imagine him as a fearsome adversary for Holmes. However, his Moriarty is so devious and cunning, and at one time downright sadistic, that I don't think they could have made a better choice. A couple of times I felt like he was channeling his father (the outstanding Richard Harris) without the warmth and empathy that the late actor conveyed. Can you imagine Richard Harris as a cunning, calculating perfectionist that's totally devoid of concern for human life? You won't have to after watching his son. It's freaky. And he sings.

3) Holmes' relationship with Watson (and in a small way, Irene Adler) is fantastically developed. Saying any more than that would be too spoilery.

So, watching this w/ my husband(who is a die-hard Sherlock fan, and used to read Sherlock Holmes aloud to me every rainy night, complete w/ voices) was a fabulous experience. We can't wait to see it again, and own it.