Fun! That is the word that should be used to describe this movie. Sure it's a sequel. If you've seen Sherlock Holmes 1 then you've seen much the same before. Sure it has it's share of movie cliches. I'm sure somewhere in the world there is a gypsy girl who is not beautiful and noble. I'm sure there exists at least one capitalist who is not a nefarious war monger. Sure it has historical inaccuracies and implausibilities. Don't go see this movie for a history lesson nor should you if you can't get over heroes being able to shrug off wounds that would permanently cripple normal mortals. This movie DOES have fun and excitement by the metric shit-ton! The chemistry between Jude Law and Robert Downey is fantastic. Jared Harris plays a great Victorian era villain, all respectable on the outside but with a juicy core of pure evil. I still think the device of going to slow motion to reflect the fantastic speed of Holmes' mind is brilliant. The scene as the heroes flee through the woods also makes great use of slowing down time to prolong and enhance the tension and thrill of the scene.
Netflix Status: Not released on DVD yet. It is available "on demand" and showing on every United airplane in the world.