Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Not bad... for a sequel  

One of the easiest ways to sum up 'Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows' would be to say, 'If you liked the first one then you'll love this one, too.' It's basically more of the same, but if what was done the first time was a winning formula, then who really care? (after all... it worked for 'Terminator' parts 1 through 3!).

Robert Downey Jr charms his way through the role, oozing a kind of 'British Tony Stark' about his performance, infused with plenty of witticisms as he effortlessly plays off of the long-suffering Jude law as Watson. There are some secondary characters along the way, most of which don't stand out that much, but a special mention should go to Stephen Fry as Holmes' equally eloquent brother, 'Mycroft Holmes' and Noomi Rapace as, er, the generic love interest (no, I'm joking - she's actually pretty fun to watch and a good 'equal' for Holmes).

The initial 'Sherlock Holmes' film did come under fire for not having - arguably - Holmes' most famous of villains, i.e. Moriarty. This is now rectified here as Jared Harris takes up the mantle and poses quite a threat for the titular detective as someone who is more than capable of not just out-thinking our hero, but even out-boxing him!

And, if you're a fan of Guy Ritchie's uber-cool style of direction then you'll spot his fingerprints all over the film (and you don't have to be a detective of Holmes' calibre to detect Ritchie's work!).

You could call it all a re-tread of the first film, but in different locations, but that would probably be overly cynical. It's a new story in itself and, while certain purists complain that it's not completely faithful to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original books, it's got its own charms. It may not be a hundred per cent accurate or believable, but it's basically Hollywood's take on what Sherlock Holmes was and - in my opinion - it's a pretty exciting take. Bring on Holmes III!

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one