I’m extremely excited to say that Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is every bit as good as the first Holmes film. This time Holmes and Watson test the limits of their friendship, while following the clues left by Moriarty, who is doing his best to thrust Europe into war. Moriarty is the villain I’ve been waiting for. He is the perfect adversary for Holmes. Matching his wit, and finally giving Holmes a challenge fitting of his intellect. In general this film takes everything from the first film and ups the adrenaline factor. Guy Ritchie has really out done himself with this one.

It goes without saying that Robert Downey Jr. is fantastic in his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, but the rest of the cast is pretty amazing as well. For my money the standout performance of the movie goes to Jared Harris for his wickedly awesome Professor James Moriarty. He brought a charm to the role that has me hoping to see him in future sequels, providing it performs at the box office. Stephen Fry is another stellar actor that rocked the screen as Sherlock’s eccentric brother, Mycroft, who enjoys prancing around his house in the nude. Of course Jude Law made Watson cool, and the supporting cast was fantastic. However, the one performance that felt a little flat for me was that of Noomi Rapace as Madam Simza Heron. She’s sexy, and obviously does an adequate job, but compared to Rachel McAdams’ Irene Adler she’s as lackluster as pancakes without syrup.

I can’t wait to revisit this film on Blu-ray so I can obsess over every minute detail. I know this hyper active super Holmes isn’t for everyone, but I am totally enthralled by what Guy Ritchie and his team have accomplished with this franchise. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is absolutely a killer film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opens on December 16th.

Now, Twitchfilm is hearing that Warner Bros. and mega-producer Joel Silver is eying Guy Ritchie once more, and more specifically, wants him to direct the film after he completes Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows for the studio.

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If Captain America: The First Avenger excels at the box office, be guaranteed this project goes full-on. Who could play Sgt. Rock?

It has been teased and teased but now it is finally here, the official trailer for Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows has hit. We’ve got an embed for you below, and Apple Trailers have the HD version available as well.

The film will be released on the 16th of December and it stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Eddie Marsan, Stephen Fry and Gilles Lellouche.

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large–Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)–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.

Source: Apple Trailers

Source: Collider

While speaking with Empire Magazine about his upcoming projects, Law stated that “It looks likely that we’re going to shoot the second Sherlock Holmes in October.”This must mean that Guy Ritchie is almost done with the script, and that we should be hearing official casting announcements soon. It’s assumed that Moriarty will be Holmes’ new nemesis, but the actor doesn’t know who will be the villain just yet. With the many novels to choose ideas from, it could be any number of characters.

Sherlock Holmes 2 is scheduled for a December 2011 release.

The Film:

Using my Holmesian deduction, I may have cracked this case of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. It is a generational film, by and large, a film that will please the newer generation of movie goers, the ones that feel cozy with a steady dose of action set pieces, married in with some CG. The older generation might feel like this version is too stylized for its and their own good. Like I said, by and large, those are the separating qualities, but surely this film hinges on more than that. It does. Sherlock Holmes isn’t Guy Ritchie’s best film, and while the man is accused for style over substance, Ritchie added a certain English attitude that would have been lost in the hands of an American, that those elements help keep the character the one those Sir Arthur Doyle fans loved so much.

For all of the huge action pieces the film has, and they are nicely staged, especially a beautiful looking slow-motion explosion, it’s the little things untouched by CG that makes this a pleasing film. Despite all of the toys a modern filmmaker has, as opposed to the directors in the Basil Rathbone era, Ritchie keeps the character true to the source material, yet touched just enough to be, or seem, fresh. Robert Downey Jr. is a fine choice, especially for this far more grittier London. If anyone can play neurotic, is Downey. Displaying those three important Holmes qualities: astute observation, clever and quick deductive reasoning, and keen knowledge of forensic science, Downey also lashes out the quips at a rapid-fire pace. The banter between Downey’s Holmes and Law’s Watson, are as good as any in previous Ritchie films.

One of the appreciative elements in this Sherlock Holmes, is the look of London. No offense to prior filmmakers’ attempt on Holmes, but the stuffy, postcard version of a Victorian London needed to stay in the past. Ritchie’s London feels right; it’s dark, gritty, and sad. Why shouldn’t it be? While the film takes place in corridors, cemeteries, and underground cellars, one must know a little of the historical placement of the film, to truly accept Ritchie’s take. Yes, Ritchie has made a career out of tough guys, backstreet brawls, and street minded films, the film here takes place in 1891, a semi-distinctive time frame. Just three years prior, in real life, Jack the Ripper stormed into London giving birth to a new, violent age of crime and murder. Placing that reality in a fake Victorian London, would seem naive. Kudos to the look and authentication of the film from Ritchie and the art department.

This Sherlock Holmes is a lot of fun, but one can’t help but wish the story was up-to-par with everything else. It’s deceptively simple, a primer course for the promised “bigger game” that is afoot. The satanic plot is fine,as is the more action friendly Holmes and Watson-a Batman and Robin team, yet this sort of “Sherlock Holmes Begins” attitude might serve us better after the sequel. Trust me, it’s elementary that Moriarty is coming, my dear readers.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: WB fully replicates Ritchie’s intent in a stunning transfer. Detailed, sharp, and gritty, the transfer should amaze even the most hardest videophile detectives. The DTS track is very dynamic, loud, yet never irritates. Bass is deep, directional elements whirl on by in the sound design, making for a great audio experience.

Maximum Movie Mode: WB has been the sole supporter of this feature, that works as a fully-involved Picture-in-Picture experience with Guy Ritchie walks us through personally the production of the film. Focal Points are eight mini-features that are repeats of some of the stuff in the Maximum Movie Mode.

Sherlock Holmes Reinvented: This 14 minute HD featurette lightly covers Ritchie’s new version of Sherlock, yet most of it is EPK and some of it is repeated from previous extras.

WB offers us on a second disc the DVD version of the film and an iTunes/Windows Media Digital Copy of the film as well.

Conclusion: While the game is still afoot, this Holmes is a great start to a new, hopeful franchise all on a solid WB Blu-ray disc.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: [Rating 3.5]

Another project that’s on the back burner at the moment for Ritchie is Gamekeeper. Ritchie must be in really good with Warner Bros because this is the third film I’ve mentioned that is under the same studio, which is never a bad thing. The good thing about this project is that it’s still in development, easily letting Ritchie take on the Sherlock Holmes sequel first, Excalibur second and then finish it off with Gamekeeper. Now we wonder if it’ll be done in that order.

Guy Ritchie has been teetering back and forth between two projects as of late. The first of them being the obvious sequel to the box office sucess and Golden Globe winning feature (for Robert Downey Jr.) known as Sherlock Holmes with the second one being the comic book adaptation of the antihero known as Lobo from DC Comics. Either way, Ritchie is still among the good graces of Warner Bros Pictures as he keeps himself fully latched on to take the sequel of Sherlock Holmes, throwing himself off the Lobo adaptation. Here’s more on what producer Joel Silver said to the LA Times.:

“I don’t think he’s going to do it now,” Silver said of Ritchie directing “Lobo.” “The studio wants us and Guy to focus on making another ‘Sherlock Holmes.’ So I think we’re going to be doing that. But we’re seeing what happens with this. Everybody is analyzing everything. It’s all kind of happening right now as we talk. ‘Sherlock’ is sitting at just about $400 million in worldwide gross and showing itself to be pretty effective and pretty strong. So we’re trying to see if we can do something quickly with another ‘Sherlock Holmes’ movie. We have some ideas and some good story points.”

Sherlock Holmes is still in theaters right now, already accumulating worldwide about $388 Million so far. Make sure you check it out if you have not already, and if you want to have a better opinion on it make sure you read the review we have here on Killer Film.

For all of the huge action pieces the film has, and they are nicely staged, especially a beautiful looking slow-motion explosion, it’s the little things untouched by CG that makes this a pleasing film. Despite all of the toys a modern filmmaker has, as opposed to the directors in the Basil Rathbone era, Ritchie keeps the character true to the source material, yet touched just enough to be, or seem, fresh. Robert Downey Jr. is a fine choice, especially for this far more grittier London. If anyone can play neurotic, is Downey. Displaying those three important Holmes qualities: astute observation, clever and quick deductive reasoning, and keen knowledge of forensic science, Downey also lashes out the quips at a rapid-fire pace. The banter between Downey’s Holmes and Law’s Watson, are as good as any in previous Ritchie films.

One of the appreciative elements in this Sherlock Holmes, is the look of London. No offense to prior filmmakers’ attempt on Holmes, but the stuffy, postcard version of a Victorian London needed to stay in the past. Ritchie’s London feels right; it’s dark, gritty, and sad. Why shouldn’t it be? While the film takes place in corridors, cemeteries, and underground cellars, one must know a little of the historical placement of the film, to truly accept Ritchie’s take. Yes, Ritchie has made a career out of tough guys, backstreet brawls, and street minded films, the film here takes place in 1891, a semi-distinctive time frame. Just three years prior, in real life, Jack the Ripper stormed into London giving birth to a new, violent age of crime and murder. Placing that reality in a fake Victorian London, would seem naive. Kudos to the look and authentication of the film from Ritchie and the art department.

This Sherlock Holmes is a lot of fun, but one can’t help but wish the story was up-to-par with everything else. It’s deceptively simple, a primer course for the promised “bigger game” that is afoot. The satanic plot is fine,as is the more action friendly Holmes and Watson-a Batman and Robin team, yet this sort of “Sherlock Holmes Begins” attitude might serve us better after the sequel. Trust me, it’s elementary that Moriarty is coming, my dear readers.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Is it a matter of fact that I’m doing it?” Ritchie asked when told of reports framing his participation in “Lobo” as a done deal. “I don’t think it’s a matter of fact. In fact, I can tell you it’s not a matter of fact.”

“Isn’t there a fifth amendment or something?” he laughed.

Well that pretty much threw this project back into the rumor mill as are a majority of Warner Bros/DC Comics adaptations nowadays. Since the film is in the forms of development, which actor do you think would fit best to be Lobo?

Anyone want to see the intergalactic biker kick butt in a PG-13 Guy Richie movie? I want The Real RockaRollas from Guy Ritchie, as Lobo was cool for like 5 minutes in the 1990s. Obviously, no casting is mentioned or has started. Who would you cast as the 7 foot tall Alice Cooper-looking bad ass?

Source: Coming Soon