Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (2011) - Dec. 16, 2011
Another disappointing Sherlock Holmes movie from Guy Ritchie, this time finding Holmes squaring off against his nemesis, Professor Moriarty.  Like the first one, the film gets a lot right, particularly the cast and the general depiction of Holmes and Watson: there's great chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, and Jared Harris was appropriately sinister as Moriarty (though Noomi Rapace's character was seriously bland and almost competely superfluous).  But the story just isn't all that interesting, and I found myself getting pretty bored for long stretches.  I don't get it: Guy Ritchie is a solid director, and Sherlock Holmes is an amazing character.  Why are these movies so dull?  **