Variety
While director Guy Ritchie's excesses and modern concessions -- among them a lot of explosions -- remain intact, the parts of this second "Sherlock Holmes" are considerably more rewarding.
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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Guy Ritchie's much anticipated sequel to Sherlock Holmes (2009), with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law reprising their roles.
The smartest man in the room, Sherlock (Downey Jnr.), meets his match with criminal mastermind - the evil, depraved Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris, Mad Men). When Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) construes the death of the Crown Prince of Austria as suicide, Sherlock points to murder and a piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Moriarty. Holmes and Watson (Law) are on the case, tracking the Professor's web of death and destruction which involves bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna.
The film also brings in Noomi Rapace (from the excellent Millennium trilogy) in her first English-speaking role, and Stephen Fry, playing Sherlock's older, peculiar brother, Mycroft.
Less2011Rating: M, contains violence129 minsUSA
ActionMystery
- Director:
- Guy Ritchie ('Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels', 'Snatch', 'Sherlock Holmes')
- Writer:
- Kieran MulroneyMichele Mulroney
- Cast:
- Robert Downey JrRachel McAdamsNoomi RapaceJude LawStephen FryJared HarrisEddie Marsan
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | Reviews
59%229 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® Score
All reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Total Film
Faster, funnier and even more bromantic than the original, this far from stately Holmes delivers piping hot entertainment at a furious lick.
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The New York Times
There is a plot, but no real intrigue, mystery or suspense, and no inkling of anything at stake beyond a childish and belligerent idea of fun.
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The Guardian
A Game of Shadows assures us that escapism is good, that mischief must be celebrated. Holmes and Watson are happy and their escapades play out with such grace and brio that the fun is infectious.
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Roger Ebert
Set aside your memories of the Conan Doyle stories, save them to savor on a night this winter and enjoy this movie as a high-caliber entertainment.
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Los Angeles Times
A few shades brighter than its predecessor, and the action bits certainly closer to the full-throttle "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" mode director Guy Ritchie didn't quite capture the first time.
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Hollywood Reporter
After quite a few tedious detours and distractions, when the film finally gets down to the business of a climax at a gathering of elite European diplomats in a precariously perched Swiss mountain castle, it becomes not half-bad.
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Empire Magazine
A sequel confident in what it's about - bigger, better, funnier, without stretching the joke.
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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | Trailers
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | Release Details
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is available to stream in New Zealand now on Google Play and Prime Video and Apple TV and Academy On Demand.