I thought the first Sherlock Holmes picture was decent, but I wasn't overwhelmed by it. This sequel however fixes some of the issues I had with the first picture. Firstly, a horribly miscast Rachel McAdams (who I generally love) is back, but she only appears in the first reel. Secondly, Game of Shadows greatly benefits from the inclusion of iconic villain Moriarty (splendidly played by Jared Harris who manages to put a fresh spin on a familiar character). Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return as Sherlock Holmes and Watson respectively, and as they so deftly displayed the first time around, their rapport is the heart and soul of the movie. Guy Ritchie's stylized direction remains a bit much for the source material and its still a bit odd seeing Holmes depicted as a tough guy superhero type instead of the scholarly intellectual most of us have come to expect, but then I suppose that was always the goal; To give today's audience a version of Holmes that has the brawn to match the brain. Game of Shadows is considerably better than the first. Its clever and moves at a quicker pace, and its nice that the film-makers went with an antagonist that can match wits with the protagonist in nearly every conceivable way. I'm still partial to the under appreciated Young Sherlock Holmes from 1985, but Game of Shadows is an extremely entertaining time at the movies.