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Warner Brothers just released both of the Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law Sherlock Holmes films onto 4K UHD disc. Today, I'll take a look at the Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) 4K/Blu-ray Combo Pack. Read on to find out more about it...


Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) starts off with seemingly random events happening around the world: a scandal takes down an Indian cotton tycoon, a Chinese opium trader dies of an apparent overdose, bombings occur in Strasbourg and Vienna, and the death of an American steel magnate. No one sees the connective thread between these seemingly random events. No one, that is, except the great Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.), who has discerned a deliberate web of death and destruction. At its center sits a singularly sinister spider: Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris). Holmes' investigation into Moriarty's plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) out of London to France, Germany, and finally, Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his ominous plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power, but alter the course of history.


Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and director Guy Ritchie all return for this sequel to 2009's Sherlock Holmes. Also returning in smaller roles are Rachel McAdams (as the devious Irene Adler in an extended cameo), Kelly Reilly (as the alluring Mary Watson), and Eddie Marsan (as hapless Inspector Lestrade). Joining them for this new adventure are Jared Harris (as the villainous Moriarty), Noomi Rapace (as gypsy Madam Simza Heron), and Stephen Fry (as Sherlock's brother Mycroft). The story grows from the seeds sown in the first movie, where we now see Moriarty front and center in the action. While his fiendish plot doesn't have the spookiness of the occult from the first film, it was an engaging tale, nonetheless. My only real complaint is that the film is a tad too long and drags a little bit in the middle. Since the movie is less than 10 years old, it's no surprise that it looks much sharper in 4K than on the Blu-ray. I think that it's a worthwhile upgrade.


Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is presented in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 2:08:44. Audio languages include English, French, German, Spanish, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, and Thai. The film includes English SDH, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Swedish, and Thai subtitles. The first print run includes a slipsleeve.


Here's a list of all of the bonus features that can be found on the included Blu-ray disc. The UHD disc only contains the movie. Do note that Maximum Movie Mode is not mentioned on the back of the case.

• Maximum Movie Mode - Robert Downey Jr. hosts this Picture-in-Picture feature, which presents the film along with behind-the-scenes footage and other bonus content. (Pressing the right arrow key skips from one bit to the next.)
• Focus Points (34:59) - This collection of seven featurettes is derived from the Maximum Movie Mode feature: "Holmesavision on Steroids", "Moriarty's Master Plan Unleashed", "Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: A Perfect Chemistry", "Meet Mycroft Holmes", "Sherlock Holmes: Under the Gypsy Spell", "Guy Ritchie's Well-Oiled Machine", and "Holmes Without Borders".

Also included in the 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack is a second standard Blu-ray disc (originally released back in 2012), which contains the movie and all of the bonus features listed above. Audio languages include English, French, Spanish, and Thai. The film includes English SDH, French, Spanish, Cantonese, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin, and Thai subtitles.

The Blu-ray disc also includes the "A Game of Shadows Movie App" feature, which used to let you see more bonus content by syncing the app to your viewing of the disc. Of course, as with anything that isn't on the disc itself, this is now just a waste of space on the menu because the app is no longer available. That's not a surprise since this disc is eight years old. Since this is a "non working" feature, I am not listing it in the special features list above. Just ignore this example of Hollywood's failed "second screen" fad.


A digital copy code voucher is also included in the standard two-disc black UHD Blu-ray case.


Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is available on 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo Pack. The first Sherlock Holmes (2009) movie is also available on 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo Pack.


All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the film. The item was provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.