Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows:

After the initial Sherlock Holmes film, this had big shoes to fill, but my did they fill them! When Guy Ritchie re-invented the much loved british detective, initial reaction was mixed, with critics and cinema-goers reaction as hesitant, unsure about how it would turn out. The reaction was stupendous, with it clearing up in the box office and receiving critical acclaim from all types of critics and audiences. So could Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows keep the originality that made the first so great, and keep a story line as complex as the first, while topping it with action and adding more complex relationships? The answer: of course it could. After the success of "bad-guy" Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) in Sherlock Holmes, Ritchie needed a villain who could top even the seeming master of death. Who better then Holmes age old nemesis, someone who has appeared in only one of the original 60 stories and yet caused such a massive stir, Professor James Moriarty. The only man ever to match Holmes in intellect and wit and the only man to come close to out-witting the great detective mind.

Jared Harris as Moriarty

When finding out the role was to be played by Jared Harris at first I was a little concerned, he didn't strike me as the suave type, judging by his other films. However he owned the role of Moriarty and now his performance will stick with me as my first impression, when thinking of the character Moriarty. The chemistry between Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his assistant Dr. Watson (Jude Law) was as ever brilliant, with both actors able to bounce off each other to supply perfect comedic moments.The steady calmness of Watson, only to be worn away throughout by the irrepressible Sherlock Holmes gets funnier by the minute. Downey Jr. is fantastic, his pure surreal performance of the verging psychotic genius is perfect and gives new life to the smooth sophisticated Holmes that is portrayed in the books and so many other interpretations. It adds new life to the character, while being utterly mad he still has that perfect arrogance that strangely causes the audience to fall in love with him.

Jude Law (left) and Robert Downey Jr. as Watson and Holmes

One thing that the sequel has kept is it's originality. Possibly the best part to the first film was Holmes' summary of what he was about to do, showing the scenes in slow motion, explaining each motion before then performing them. This was a clever way of showing Holmes' intense thinking speed and playing clever jokes on the audience by explaining what he was going to do then simply opting for an easier route. I loved the fact that they kept this in the second movie and simply made the scenes longer, also adding opponents that were able to counter Holmes moves showing him having to improvise. Some of the camera shots were simply stunning. In particular the escape through the woods, (trying to to give away any spoilers) The 300 like stop-start of the slow motion was incredible to watch, slowing down bullets, showing near misses for the escaping heroes. The fight scene that follow is one of the best I've scene using the same tactic of stop-start slow motion.

Verdict: Although it was always going to be hard to top the first, Guy Ritchie went out and did it. This is not only a visual great, it is also a brilliant film that you can still relax into. 8.5/10