he only thing that runs deeper than my love for movies is my love for Robert Downey Jr. He is such a talented actor that has had to fight his way to the top. I have a huge respect for him because he cleaned up his life and recreated his career. I adore him with every fiber of my being!

Needless to say I was very excited when I heard they were making a second Sherlock Holmes movie. I really enjoyed the bromance between Watson and Holmes so I knew this would be awesome. The best thing about this sequel is everyone comes back! We have Jude Law as Watson, Robert Downey Jr as Holmes, Rachel McAdams and Irene, Kelly Reilly as Mary, Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade, and Geraldine James as Mrs. Hudson! It is always a good sign when you have an entire cast return. There are also a few fantastic additions to the film, we have Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes (Sherlock’s brother), Jared Harris as Moriarty, and Noomi Rapace as Sim.

This film jumps in where the previous one left off. We know that Irene [Adler] is working for Moriarty and Holmes is on the hunt to see what Irene is up to and find Moriarty. I have to be very careful with this summary because I do not want to give anything away. Basically, Holmes finds new clues and heads back to London.

Holmes is back in London and poor Watson gets mixed up in the whole mess. On Watson’s Stag night (British Bachelor Party) we meet Mycroft Holmes and see how different the Holmes Brothers are. Mycroft is in politics and is all about king and country. Sherlock is just there to find out more information. Holmes and Watson agree to get to the bottom of this case and stop Moriarty from doing harm. Of course they would need the help to figure out how to stop from creating a war.

The film is shot very similar to the first one—lots of amazing slow motion-capture action scenes. There is a great one with all the characters being shot at through the woods. It is one of the most beautiful action scenes I’ve seen in a while. I will say I think they played up Sherlock’s slow motion pre-fight techniques a little bit too much. I think they should have kept it to two time as opposed to about four times, but that is just my two cents.

Moriarty was a great character. He was scary not because of what he did but because of what he could do. This man had no limits and that is where the fear is….what else could he do? I must say I wanted more Irene but that is because she was one of my favorite characters in the series. I love that she can get under Sherlock’s skin. She is only in the movie for 2 or 3 scenes and it was not enough.

Overall, I think the movie was very well done. They left a lot of things open for a third adventure. I hope the A Game of Shadows does as good as the first one, but time will tell. The action is fantastic, the story is great and Holmes is brilliant and funny all at the same time. If you liked the first film, you will like this one.

–Amber Tejeda

For more great reviews by Amber, check out her website here.