Watch Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows For Free

Awesome Movie

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

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.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011): Dir: Guy Ritchie / Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Rachel McAdams: Entertaining sequel to the 2009 hit. It addresses trickery and intellect as Sherlock Holmes always has every move mapped out before they commit. His partner, Dr. Watson is getting married but Holmes interferes in that when attempts are made on their lives. Director Guy Ritchie is backed with intense action and a plot that travels Germany and Switzerland. The opening effectively cuts a previous tie and it opens to a payoff that is often clever including a brilliant conclusion that contains the trademark humour. Robert Downey Jr as Holmes is clever with amusing disguises and an extreme sense of wit. Jude Law as Watson must put his honeymoon reluctantly and suddenly on hold while he bails Holmes out of certain death. Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty is the film's villain using bombs like they are toys to be wound at will and set loose. He is every bit as clever as Holmes as they nearly match up but Holmes will ultimately have the last laugh in an amusing final scene. The only weak role is Noomi Rapace as a gypsy whose brother is missing and Moriarty is linked to it. While her role thankfully avoids being a romantic prop, it is still lifeless nonetheless. Rachel McAdams is featured in the effective opening where she is poisoned, which is actually a shame since she brings much to the table. While the first film breathed new life into the classic character, this film is pure entertainment that is a game of shadows where the audience is delightfully tricked. Score: 8 ½ / 10

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.

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" is not as good as the first film in the series, but it does benefit from an interesting villain. Don't underestimate how important that is to this kind of movie; when you have a hero that's as smart as ol' Holmes, you better have someone that he can match wits with or the whole thing will be a snooze-fest as you wait for this lamo to get trounced by the world's greatest detective. If anything, I was disappointed that these adversaries didn't get to share more screen time. The second half is interesting and well crafted enough to keep the audience entertained though, so it more than redeems itself for me. It's unfortunate that the detective work and mystery play second fiddle to some of the action scenes and humor sequences, and I felt that some of the revelations and plot twists were way over the top, but overall it's enjoyable. I actually feel like I'm being way too harsh on it, I just happened to have really high hopes considering how fresh and intelligent the first installment was. (Theatrical version on the big screen, January 2012)