Warner Bros. has released the final poster for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and it's not good.  First, it's probably not the best idea to put your movie stars way in the background thus minimizing their faces.  Second, the looming shadow of Moriarty (Jared Harris) is a nice touch, but it only works if you know he's the villain and what he looks like.  Otherwise, it's just the shadow of a guy with a top hat and cane.  Finally, what the hell are Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) looking at?  Watson seems to be aiming in the opposite direction of Moriarty, and Holmes is posing for a photo shoot.

Hit the jump to check out the poster and see failure in advertising.  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opens December 16th.

Poster via Yahoo! Movies.

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Here's the official synopsis for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows:

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room... until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large - Professor Moriarty - and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective.

Holmes' investigation into Moriarty's plot becomes ever more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London and across Europe, to France, Germany and finally to Switzerland.

But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead as he spins a web of death and destruction - all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.