"Dangerous at both ends and tricky in the middle..."

There is a point I would like to make before I talk about "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"...

Its a sequel. A continuation of the same story, characters etc. Which means you are not discovering things for the first time and therefore sequels are so much to make as good as the first film. Especially when the first film is obviously really good. 

However...

I thought that the latest Sherlock was really good! There were some sequences which literally had me gasping or holding my breath! Despite the fact that you are not discovering the characters for the first time and the style of the film is no longer new (because its a sequel), the strengths of the characters were still there from the first one and the way the film is edited together is really engaging. A friend of mine said that the plot was harder to follow and thinner than the original, I would have to agree, and for a detective film that can be a considerable fault. The characters in the film are so strong though that the lack of riveting plot is easier to forgive. Watson and Holmes'  relationship is so intriguing and funny that the plot of the film seems to facilitate it, rather than their relationship being a side feature to the plot. 

The best moment was the sequence in the forest. Shells exploding through trees, bullets slicing through waistcoats in a remarkable array of tempos was so impressive to watch. The second best bit was the chess game at the climax of the film. Moriarty and Holmes. Two titans of genius hitting into each other. The first time you actually worry that Holmes is not clever enough. The scene gripped me and I had to hold my breath (for as long as I could).

I think I will give it a 75 

The End?