Guy Ritchie’s second rendition of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, starts with a bang as Holmes continues his investigation of the villainous Professor Moriarty, Holmes’ ultimate nemesis from the books who was introduced at the conclusion of the previous Sherlock Holmes film.

The film incorporates many other elements from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original story as well. Hot on Moriarty’s trail, Holmes is able to coax Watson into helping him to catch a criminal one last time before Watson settles down for married life. The duo proceeds to embark on an action-packed adventure with the aid of a gypsy woman, played by Noomi Rapace, whose brother is involved in the case.

The film is a step up from Ritchie’s last Sherlock Holmes movie. Compared to the first movie, “A Game of Shadows” has a much better plot and is more fast paced. The film moves extremely quickly and there isn’t a single dull moment. In fact, because of the exceedingly fast tempo and rapidly changing scenes, the action is occasionally hard to keep up with.

One of my favorite aspects of the film was its great use of camera shots, which allowed the audience to follow Holmes’ logic and process of solving problems, instead of simply seeing him solve them. Also, Holmes’ iteration of fight scenes before they occur shed intriguing light onto his quick wit and foresight, and made the scenes more meaningful. Slow motion was employed effectively and unobtrusively to enhance the movie’s drama as well.

Although Sherlock Holmes’ portrayal by Downey struck me as somewhat untraditional, I thought his performance was very well done and even better than in the first film. Downey and Jude Law as John Watson display a strong connection on screen and make a charming and entertaining team.

Overall I thought it a very amusing and engaging film.

Despite its excessively fast pacing, it was undeniably clever and included many humorous moments. If you enjoyed the first film, you will certainly be impressed with the sequel.

And, because of its numerous improvements and integration of details from the original stories, even some who wasn’t sold on the first film will be fond of this one.

Aran Kirschenmann, 15, is a contributing writer for the Bellevue Reporter and a sophomore at The International School in Bellevue. You may reach and connect with her on her Facebook page “The Young Critic.”