Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 3, 2020

Sequels in general often have a pretty hard act to follow (so to speak), and sequels to unexpectedly massive hit films probably have it even worse. In that regard Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is probably widely perceived as not having quite captured the magic that made Sherlock Holmes click so spectacularly with both critics and (probably more importantly) audiences, but if seen as its own particular story, it has a lot of the energy and wit that made the first film so memorable. There are a couple of elements in this film that may make it at least somewhat less of a thrill ride than the first, including the almost criminally negligent use of Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler, here consigned to what is in essence a glorified cameo (something that admittedly may have been necessitated at least in part by McAdams’ availability for the shoot). But this film has a somewhat more diffused plot, one that doesn’t offer the same “spookiness” that the first film’s emphasis on occultists offered.

As with the first Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was released on Blu-ray years ago. Those wanting a plot recap are encouraged to read Ken Brown's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Blu-ray review of that original Blu-ray release. That said, once again it's "different reviewers, different opinions" time, since I was somewhat more favorably inclined toward the sequel than Ken evidently was, though I completely concur with his assessments as to some of what's ailing in this sequel.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 2.40:1. This presentation shares a number of similarities to that of Sherlock Holmes 4K, most notably its accounting of the grittier aspects of Philippe Rousselot's cinematography. This presentation isn't as noticeably darker than its 1080 counterpart as with the first film, but the texture of the grain field can be just as pronounced. As Ken mentioned in his review of the original Blu-ray release, this film, like its progenitor, had its imagery tweaked rather aggressively in post, and once again all sorts of grading techniques have been applied here. There's once again an emphasis on almost sepia tones, albeit blended in this film with a prevalence of cooler tones on the blue end of the spectrum, and once again HDR offers some rather appealing highlights even when the palette isn't particularly vividly suffused. A long sequence aboard a boat which is bathed in blue tones enjoys at least a marginal uptick in shadow definition in this presentation. There's just the slightest hint of image instability right at the get go with regard to elements like the Village Roadshow masthead, where the fine lined, almost scrimshaw looking, logo almost gives way to aliasing, but otherwise I noticed no major issues. Fine detail is often excellent, and in fact in the very opening scene after the production mastheads, "little" elements like a couple of stray threads on the shoulder of Watson's vest are delivered with a really appealing precision that isn't quite as defined in the 1080 version. As with the first film, while this was basically shot on film, some HD content is included, specifically with regard to some effects shots, which rather surprisingly (at least to me, anyway) can look just slightly softer than the bulk of the presentation at times. This film benefits from some good outdoor location photography, where depth of field is typically excellent and fine detail on elements like foliage resolves without any issues whatsoever.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows features a robust sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, though datapoint examiners will notice that the 4K UHD disc offers it in 16 bit, while the original 1080 Blu-ray had a 24 bit rendering. I frankly noticed no major difference in depth, and the track's often nicely rendered surround activity is unaltered in any case. From rumbling explosions to a number of frenetic outdoor scenes, there is regular engagement of both the subwoofer as well as the side and rear channels, and the track regularly provides really smart directionality and equally proficient placement of individual effects in discrete channels.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are offered on the 4K UHD disc, and the score above reflects that. The 1080 Blu-ray also included in this set features all of the supplements Ken details in his Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Blu-ray review.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's evidently a third Sherlock Holmes film with Robert Downey, Jr. due sometime in 2021 (though frankly I'm wondering if "current events" may push that release date at least a bit later). This film probably is an example of the so-called "sophomore slump," though in that regard I personally seemed to have liked it at least a bit more than Ken did when he first reviewed the original Blu-ray release. This is another 4K presentation that is somewhat beholden to "baked in" source elements, including some very aggressive tweaking to the imagery in post. As with the first film's 4K presentation, this is often has a pretty gritty looking appearance, and as per the original color grading, things can look rather desaturated throughout, although that probably makes the occasional "real" pops of color all the more impressive when they do show up. Recommended.