I didn't like the first SHERLOCK HOLMES film very much at all, so I had little hope for this sequel. Unfortunately, it's even worse than the original, moving further away from the source material in a bid to deliver big bucks, action packed excitement. Downey Jr. plays Holmes as a superhero type in a Victorian setting, utilising his physical prowess and mental skills in a bid to bring down some typically shadowy villains.

First of all, for an action film, the action is very poor. A GAME OF SHADOWS was made during a trend for ultra slow motion in cinema, and the slow motion sequences are ridiculous. I don't know if they're meant to be edge of the seat or exciting, but despite the cutting edge technology they look very fake and the CGI augmentation is all too obvious.

Downey Jr.'s acting here is rather pitiful and his Holmes is required to cross dress and do other stuff that's about as far away from the spirit of the literary Holmes as is possible. Jude Law and Jared Harris work hard in support, but Noomi Rapace's fortune teller is out of place and Rachel McAdams remains awful. The worst thing about all this though is the nonsensical script, which turns realistic detective fiction into teen-friendly grandiose fantasy that remains frequently incomprehensible.