A step up from the first of them

Rating: 7/10 (29 November 2015)

The first film of this series was for me of average quality, the kind of movie that felt like a generic Hollywood action adventure movie labelled as Sherlock Holmes. A Game of Shadows is however in my opinion a level up from the first instalment and a movie that is just generally funnier, better done action wise and all in all just generally much more thrilling. It isn't necessarily massively new and refreshing and can at times be pretty basic but take nothing away from this, this is a blockbuster done well. It again of course stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson of which both are on the trail of that most famous of Holmes villains, Moriarty.
It excels in most part at getting the fighting done in a way which at least at times can feel pretty nice, nice in a way where it feels real of course. The slow motion used in certain scenes is fantastic, an addition that not only just makes parts of the movie more exciting but also it shows Guy Ritchie can do action very well indeed. As for Ritchie well he directs this kind of similar to the first one in the way it's paced but brings more out of the actors and characters they play, as mentioned it feels funnier and more thrilling and that is really down to Ritchie knowing what was needed to be done.
Additions to the cast like Stephen Fry, Jared Harris and Noomi Rapace do little to take away the staring role Downey, Jr. has but nevertheless I think they are good additions and make up a cast that is well put together. RDJ even sounds better in this one, I felt with the first he quite often mumbled and his lines came out at a frantic pace but in this he although can be a little too fast, still makes a better go of it. Jude Law as Watson is better as well and although neither is brilliant here they are good enough to not ruin this movie or rob it of any of its credibility.
The film can drag just a tiny bit toward the end and they do a decent job of not letting your attention drop, it does start to get more basic toward the end plot wise but by the end I felt satisfied enough. The score of Hans Zimmer + Lorne Balfe makes the action not only more pumped up but just generally sounds good, you can always count on both but especially Zimmer to create something pretty nice. The film can actually think itself pretty smart at times especially with the thought process Holmes goes to when just about to fight, of course if you see the first movie you are used to it but it still feels a little gimmicky how it is done and played out afterwards.
So overall Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is one movie that is good and I think an improvement over the first one that felt so mediocre. Guy Ritchie hones in on his craft and truly makes something that although of course is big and can be typically blockbuster, is still a fun adventure and one that I think most can just about partly enjoy at the very least. Oh and the cinematography, it is really well done actually and the movie is also pretty well edited, the story flows very nicely and the way it looks especially in more fast moving or fighting scenes is one that is very good especially.