At the end of his review for the poorly named, but better than the original, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, my Hackert mentions that he prefers the BBC’s Sherlock better. This may have been glossed over by many, but it is a very important take away from that review in my opinion.
This isn’t to say I too did not find the Guy Ritchie film, filled with his characteristic dull colors with glossy sheens and slow motion action, to be a bad film. I enjoyed it’s more intellectual story relative to the original film, in which Sherlock was less detective and more fighter, and balances its grand set pieces with a more complex interweaving plot. On the other side of the coin, it also has horribly obvious foreshadowing which sadly ruins some of its more emotive moments. It is a great flick, but clearly not without its flaws.
What I enjoy more however is the take on the Sherlock character by the BBC in its series Sherlock. Season 1 was only three episodes long, however each was an hour and a half in length making them about as cumulatively long as both Sherlock Holmes movies. From a fiscal sense, it thus would make more sense for you to pay the $7-$8 for a month of Netflix to watch the BBC series on Netflix than spend the money to rent and watch the movies at home and in theaters, but that is another matter.
The BBC series is a modern take on the characters, in which Dr. Watson has returned from the war in the Middle East and Sherlock is a detective consultant for Scotland Yard when he chooses to be, seeing the crimes he solves as games. Other prominent characters feature in the stories as well, like Mycroft and Moriarty, and the show is better for it. Mycroft’s introduction is a particularly good one to the show. The show focuses on the intellectual and deducing capabilities of Holmes rather than on his physical strengths as the movies sometimes do. It is phenomenally well acted by the two main characters, Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock (he can also be seen in theaters in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson (he will play Bilbo in The Hobbit next year).
While I think that the three episodes from season 1 are related to existing Holmes stories, I can say definitively that three episodes from season 2 will be, and having not read any of the original novels I am excited to be befuddled and surprised by the TV show next year.
Matt Brickell is a senior writer for Rambles and Reviews, and prior to joining the staff studied at the University of Chicago.
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