7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large-Professor Moriarty - and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade, points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder-a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction.
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Rachel McAdamsAction | 100% |
Adventure | 91% |
Thriller | 24% |
Period | 16% |
Crime | 13% |
Mystery | 5% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish, Cantonese, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Bonus View (PiP)
Mobile features
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
If you're as addicted to the BBC's excellent Sherlock series as I am, director Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows will prove woefully inadequate. If you've never watched a single episode of Sherlock, though, Ritchie's Game of Shadows will prove... mildly inadequate. More action-packed, bullet-riddled, convoluted and over-the-top than the first Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law Holmes/Watson team-up, the sequel ups every ante imaginable, often to its detriment. Ritchie and company all but forsake Arthur Conan Doyle's original detective stories and re-purpose Holmes as a spinning, grinning, gunslinging martial arts master, leaving one to wonder why Ritchie didn't replace good sir Robert with Jackie Chan. Gone too is much of Sherlock's deductive wiles, replaced by even more voracious wit, silly disguises and butt-of-the-joke comedy. Mysteries unravel with nearly nonsensical complexity too, clues take a back seat to whatever furious fisticuffs lie in wait around the next corner, and Moriarty, Holmes' great nemesis, is the only real scene-stealer to be had. Oh, it's all wildly entertaining, in a brainless summer blockbuster sort of way. But it misses the mark again and again, muddying the waters with wall-to-wall action, abandoning reason with rapidfire flashbacks and impossible logic puzzles, and tossing aside almost everything that makes the Steven Moffat-run BBC series an accessible cerebral thrill-ride and Ritchie's first Sherlock Holmes, flawed though it may be, a fun, popcorn-fueled diversion.
"If we can stop him, we shall prevent the collapse of Western civilization. No pressure."
A Game of Shadows hits the ground running with a fit and faithful 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that, stylistic quirks aside, rarely falters. As was the case with the first Sherlock Holmes, Oscar-winning cinematographer Philippe Rousselot's photography has been subjected to dramatic color-grading but remains perfectly suited to Ritchie's at-times almost monochromatic, late 19th century newsprint palette. Sepia hues dominate the image, with washed out earthtones, antiqued whites, dusty yellows, overcast blues and grays, and deep, coal-stained blacks. Detail is impressive throughout, even though the film's slow motion shots, captured with high speed Phantom cameras, tend to be naturally soft. Grain is intact, edges are clean and well-defined, textures are crisp and nicely resolved on the whole, and delineation is, all things considered, reasonably revealing. Better still, artifacting, banding, aliasing and other oddities are held at bay, and the few shortcomings you'll encounter trace back to the source, not inadequacies with Warner's encode. Fans of Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films won't be left wanting.
Warner's tightly tuned DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track takes its shot and hits its target dead center, delivering an exacting, punch-for-punch, sternum-thumping lossless experience that doesn't let up or relent. The LFE channel is bold, bombastic and discriminating, throwing its full weight behind every meaty thunk, explosive thoom and heavy boom Ritchie unleashes, all while imbuing weighty elements with convincing heft and presence. The rear speakers ignite the already immersive soundfield as well with convincing, ever-careening directional effects, devious cross-channel pans, and remarkable dynamics. A Game of Shadows isn't just loud and unruly, though -- despite being both from time to time -- it's playful and mischievous too, embracing every broad stroke of composer Hans Zimmer's dueling themes: the light, impish blend of Celtic and Romanian music for Holmes and the orchestral, Schubert-inspired pieces for Moriarty. All the while, dialogue is clear, distinct and intelligible, without a lost line or buried voice to complain about. A Game of Shadows may be the lesser of Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films, but the sequel's DTS-HD Master Audio mix foils the first film's dreams of sonic domination.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows isn't a bad film or a failed sequel. It just takes a few too many steps in the wrong direction; an action-oriented path that, if followed any further, will only lead Holmes and Watson to ruin. There's still plenty of fun to be had in Ritchie's entertaining romp, but fans of Doyle's original stories or Steven Moffat's excellent BBC series would be wise to lower their expectations. Fortunately, Warner's Blu-ray release is more rewarding thanks to a strong video presentation, a pound-for-pound DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a decent collection of extras. Chances are you've already deduced how you'll react to A Game of Shadows. Buy or rent accordingly.
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