Superior to its predecessor.

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2012)

After the first entry earned mega bucks at the box office, it was a no brainer for Warner Bros to green light a sequel for Robert Downey Jr's pipe-smoking, wise-cracking sleuth and his dependable aide Dr Watson (Jude Law – spot-on once again). What is surprising is that Shadows doesn't suffer from the law of diminishing returns, in fact it is marginally superior to its predecessor. The supernatural tone has been replaced by an atmosphere more grounded in reality and the thriller elements have been traded out for a simpler 'saving-the-world' premise, although it's the upgrade in villain that really distinguishes the two. With the murder of an established character in the opening act, Holmes' arch-enemy Moriarty (played with fantastic intelligence and sinister intent by Jared Harris) makes an immediate and ruthless impression; something sorely absent in Mark Strong's Lord Blackwell. The flashily filmed slow-motion fisticuffs and gunfights – complete with explosions – are tremendously entertaining as well.