Murder, mystery, Moriarty. These are what Guy Ritchie's latest flick, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, is all about.

In Ritchie's first Sherlock Holmes flick, released in 2009, some fans were deeply disappointed at the absence of the detective's most formidable enemy, Professor James Moriarty. Well, they need no longer be disappointed as A Game of Shadows delves deep into classic Holmes territory.

A Game of Shadows opens with Holmes' lady love Irene Adler being poisoned by a mysterious man hiding in the shadows. The infamous detective quickly begins his revenge-fueled scheme on the night of Watson's bachelor party. Aided by his brother Mycroft, who is perhaps the only person more clever than Sherlock; a gypsy women named Simza, whose involvement goes even deeper than Holmes realizes; and the irreplaceable Dr. Watson, Sherlock works to unravel the single most important mystery of his career. Working against him is his greatest enemy, Moriarty, whose plans to bring about war on a massive, international scale are as brilliant as they are despicable.

The cast of A Game of Shadows is saturated with talent. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world's favourite detective with the same vim and vigor that he brought the first time around. Every moment that Downey Jr. spends on screen is full of clever quips, dry sarcasm and sheer acting brilliance. It must also be noted that Downey Jr. flawlessly pulls off complicated and, to be honest, brutally painful-looking action sequences constantly throughout the film.

Holmes' sidekick Dr. Watson to life once again is the equally talented Jude Law. Not only does Law do an outstanding job in his solo scenes, but he and Downey Jr. have a way of interacting that creates pure entertainment.

Also returning, though her role is tragically short-lived, is localborn beauty Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler. The only thing that could have made McAdams' performance more enjoyable would have been to make it longer.

New to this installment of Sherlock Holmes is Noomi Rapace as Simza and Stephen Fry as Mycroft. Rapace, who fans know and love from her role as Lisbeth Salander in the original Swedish Girl With the Dragon Tattoo film trilogy, proves she has the same caliber of acting talent as her male co-stars, stealing the scene on more than one occasion. Stephen Fry is exactly as one would expect: intelligent beyond comprehension, yet tender, witty and, above all, entertaining.

One of the things that makes Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes flicks so fun to watch is the hyper-stylization that he utilizes in the perfect amount. Fast-motion mixed seamlessly with extreme slowmotion during the fight scenes make for an interesting and enjoyable viewing experience.

Sherlock Holmes is a character that people loved to read about long before Ritchie brought his version to life, but it is safe to say that his films do the characters and stories absolute justice and audiences will continue loving each and every adventure that is brought to the big screen. Check it out for yourself and see.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars