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Die-hard fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle be warned: The second installment of the Sherlock Holmes series, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the clever detective and Jude Law as his relentless sidekick, Dr. Watson, is as far removed from the literary original as was the first movie, released in 2009.

Anyone not bothered by this fact is in for a thrilling ride. “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” feels like a roller coaster with intricate loops, sudden twists and sharp curves that get the adrenaline flowing and elicit joyous, sometimes hysterical laughter.

Director Guy Ritchie relies on the same formula that has brought him success not only with the first Holmes movie, but also his other films such as “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” It’s a bunch of men straying through an abstruse storyline, spiced up by witty dialog and slow-motion fight scenes.

While Ritchie sticks to the well-tested pattern, it still makes for a highly entertaining, fast-paced film that hardly leaves a calm minute for viewers to catch their breath.

The plot is perhaps more characteristic of James Bond than Sherlock Holmes: the intelligent and creepily evil Dr. Moriartry (Jared Harris) is attempting to stir up a war in Europe so he can make a fortune through arms deals, and it is up to Holmes and Watson to stop him.

But before Holmes can “prevent the collapse of Western civilization; no pressure,” he must face another evil: the wedding of his trusted sidekick, Watson.

The story may not sound all that clever, but it gives the characters the chance to travel through Europe in winter, and allows plenty of opportunities for fight scenes, letting Downey show off his martial arts skills.

Downey plays Holmes as a clever genius who is always on the verge of succumbing to his dark, somewhat maniacal side. Holmes’s love for disguise is played with great dedication by Downey, whether he is showing up as a Chinese man in a street market or as an English dame with preposterous makeup that makes him look like a distant relative of The Joker and Captain Jack Sparrow.

Law’s more low-key performance as Dr. Watson is equally enjoyable as a man who seems incapable of escaping the tight grasp of Holmes, and his own insatiable thirst for adventure.

The odd couple’s bickering and squabbling makes for some very amusing scenes, and some of the best lines of the movie, such as Holmes’s invitation to “lie down with me, Watson.” And yes, just like Frodo and Sam in “The Lord of the Rings,” there is a homoerotic undertone to their relationship, which is something the film benefits significantly from.

Women are only a fleeting presence, starting with Holmes’s love interest, Irene Adler, charmingly (and briefly) played by Rachel McAdams, and Watson’s new wife, Mary, played by Kelly Reilly, who is thrown off the train in the first half of the film.

Even Noomi Rapace’s Simza, who gets more screen time than the other women, remains only a minor character.

Instead, the film serves as a playground for grown men, letting them release their inner children and act like boys gone wild.

As the villain, Harris brings subtlety to Moriatry, as well as sophistication. His evilness constantly seethes under the surface, but only fully reveals itself when he’s torturing Holmes to the words of his favorite composition, “Die Forelle” (“The Trout”), by Franz Schubert.

The much less action-packed one-on-one scenes between Holmes and Moriatry are some of the strongest and well-acted in the film, though obviously not as humorous as the witty verbal exchanges between Holmes and Watson.

While the protagonists (and their exaggerated characteristics) remain the same, Downey and Ritchie have turned the fictional Holmes into an action hero for the 21st century.

Conan Doyle might be turning over in his grave, but “Game of Shadows” is still an entertaining ride. 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
English with Indonesian subtitles
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Jared Harris
129 minutes