Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Guy Ritchie, 2011)

Ritchie's sequel takes up the story with more of the same blend of comically tinged derring-do and improbable deductions, and it seems that after years of being ridiculed for his mockney gangster business, Ritchie has finally found his niche. It's much the same film as the first, even if there's a Moriarty lurking about, but this is no bad thing, since it ensures a rather stunningly realised Victorian London and crisp use of the Holmes bullet time technique. The chemistry is also nice between the fidgety Downey Jr. and Jude Law, who on showings like this is much better as a comic sidekick than as a stiff dramatic lead. There's far too much explosive action for Rathbone traditionalists, of course, but it rolls along entertainingly all the same.

6/10