Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Robert Downey Jr returns as the iconic detective in an overlong and mostly tedious adventure that falls right in line with its lackluster predecessor, with the narrative, this time around, following Holmes and Watson (Jude Law) as they attempt to stop the nefarious Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) from executing a predictably evil plan. Filmmaker Guy Ritchie delivers a frantic, frenetic narrative that contains few elements designed to lure the viewer into the overstuffed storyline, and it’s clear, certainly, that the hands-off atmosphere is compounded by a proliferation of slick, Michael Bay-like action sequences that couldn’t possibly be less exciting or entertaining. Downey Jr’s competent yet oddly smug turn as the central protagonist hardly alleviates the pervasively uninvolving vibe, which is a shame, certainly, given that he’s been surrounded by a whole host of talented, engaging performers (with Harris’ note-perfect work here remaining an all-too-brief highlight from start to finish). By the time the eye-rolling broad finale rolls around, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows has certainly confirmed its place as just another subpar big-budget endeavor from a filmmaker well out of his depth.

*1/2 out of ****