Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Name: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Genre: Action, Mystery
Released: December 16, 2011
Duration: 129 min
Rating: 48
Cast: Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Robert Downey Jr.

2011

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 694 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 694 Ratings

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Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: December 16, 2011 | PG-13

Starring: Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Robert Downey Jr.

Summary: Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room... until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty—and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown PrinceSherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room... until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty—and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade, points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder—a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction—all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

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Director: Guy Ritchie

Genre(s): Action, Mystery

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 129 min

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert

Dec 14, 2011

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. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Dec 13, 2011

A Game of Shadows is a stronger, better realized movie that builds upon the strengths of the original and jettisons some of the weaknesses. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

Dec 15, 2011

Yet here, as before, part of the movie's perversely cheeky design is that it throws away its own cleverness. Read full review

Boxoffice Magazine James Rocchi

Dec 14, 2011

Director Guy Ritchie is like a Heismann-winning football player cast in a ballet stage-perfectly talented, but wrong for the circumstance. Read full review

Steven Rea

Dec 15, 2011

Virtually every set-up and set-piece in this extravagantly tedious adventure is misleading, or worse, irrelevant. Read full review

Richard Corliss

Dec 15, 2011

Fresh inspiration is sparse here; the sequel is less an extension than a remake. Holmes says of one of his lamer disguises, "It's so overt, it's covert." And the shadow in this game is the imposing penumbra of Ritchie's very satisfying 2009 film. It's overt and overwhelming. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Dec 15, 2011

There's nothing here but wreckage. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is so ineptly made that the story is advanced solely through announcements. Read full review

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User Reviews

Tarboy

Dec 19, 2011

really good! i really like that you have to think harder with this part. part 1 told you everything, and was simple, this one makes you think harder, and it was really epic! slow-motion scene in the forest was awesome, fantastic humour to x)

12 of 17 users found this helpful125

Scorpion

May 8, 2013

The complex plot, the characters more developed than ever, and perfect performances from Downey Jr and Jude Law, this sequel far surpasses the predecessor to present a political plot that is the envy of many other films of the genre, and those beautifull scenes action in slow motion to makeThe complex plot, the characters more developed than ever, and perfect performances from Downey Jr and Jude Law, this sequel far surpasses the predecessor to present a political plot that is the envy of many other films of the genre, and those beautifull scenes action in slow motion to make this Melor adaption of a book by Conan Doyle.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Massonic

Dec 9, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Really good, especially Moriarty vs Sherlock fight. Too short, I would like to see a bigger film adaptation if the third part comes out.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Goodfella

Jul 21, 2012

I'm no big fan of sherlock holmes and definitely not of guy ritchie (snatch apart) but this was a really entertaining movie. Perhaps the relatively low scores are in part due to the BBC's 'Sherlock' which is very british and this is just very american. As a brit, if i loved sherlock holmes iI'm no big fan of sherlock holmes and definitely not of guy ritchie (snatch apart) but this was a really entertaining movie. Perhaps the relatively low scores are in part due to the BBC's 'Sherlock' which is very british and this is just very american. As a brit, if i loved sherlock holmes i would probably hate this, but just judging the movie purely on its entertainment value, i have to say its a 'good un'. From the beginning, the film is well shot, well acted, with decent action set pieces and a fairly good story. Its well worth a watch whether you like 'holmes' or not.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

JawsLaxerDrama

Dec 20, 2012

It's not a perfect movie. It's not a bad movie. It's not even amazing, but it is GOOD. Enjoy it. Much better than the first one! Slow motion was great. It is an artistic film, and as such, some may not undertand the usage of slow motion and precise shots- doesn't matter. A good movie toIt's not a perfect movie. It's not a bad movie. It's not even amazing, but it is GOOD. Enjoy it. Much better than the first one! Slow motion was great. It is an artistic film, and as such, some may not undertand the usage of slow motion and precise shots- doesn't matter. A good movie to cuddle up with someone on a rainy day.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Tokyochuchu

Jul 16, 2012

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a solid sequel that walks the fine line between improving upon the ideas of it's predecessor or simply retreading them. Although not perfect, the movie does more than enough to entertain throughout it's duration. Is it superior to the original? To beSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a solid sequel that walks the fine line between improving upon the ideas of it's predecessor or simply retreading them. Although not perfect, the movie does more than enough to entertain throughout it's duration. Is it superior to the original? To be honest, I think it's too close to call... But is it worth watching? Well, that's elementary my dear reader.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

themacmeister

Jan 6, 2012

I would have really enjoyed this film, had it not been shot digitally, and not post-processed to the point of being so dark, it was a strain to make out exactly what was on the screen. Not that post-processing is a bad thing -- it was put to good use in Se7en by Brad Fincher, but when theI would have really enjoyed this film, had it not been shot digitally, and not post-processed to the point of being so dark, it was a strain to make out exactly what was on the screen. Not that post-processing is a bad thing -- it was put to good use in Se7en by Brad Fincher, but when the screen is S-O-O-O dark, and the action is so jerky (due to digital photography), that you find yourself asking yourself exactly what you made out of the last scene (multiplied by the amount of scenes in the film). There is one scene set in full daylight about 3/4 of the way through -- and to give you an idea, set your monitor brightness to 5% -- now you have an idea of how dark this film is.

There is no twist or turn in the screenplay. It is so predictable as to be laughable. Stephen Fry was a pleasant addition, but his part is woefully under-utilised.

I found the original film to be a surprisingly refreshing film, albeit with too much CG, but action packed and humorous, with plenty of wit.

This film does not rate in comparison, or on its own. You could convert this film into 37-D, and it would still be one dimensional… Expand

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

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