Seriously how freaking good is Sherlock? I am talking about the most recent BBC adaptation starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Its honestly one of the best TV series I have seen in years, also Guy Ritchie’s movie version is totally freaking awesome as well. If you don’t agree with me, firstly, shut up and secondly I am going to tell you why both the movie and the series are great.
Let’s start with the movie shall we. Well having not read any of the literature around Sherlock Holmes before seeing the movie I was quite uneducated on the character (I have since read Hound of the Baskervilles, good book, read it, read it now!). However I did have this image of some sort of fusty old Englishman with a pipe and big hat, you know the stereotypical image of him. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the movie and be presented with one truly bad-ass detective. I also expected the movie to be a bit slower and more set around Holmes special abilities as an investigator, that is there, but there are also some really cool fight scenes, explosions and chases, making it a really good action movie. I say movie, I’m really talking about both the films that have been made so far by Guy Ritchie, the second one being my favourite, but each is great on its own merit. The reinvention of Sherlock Holmes was done really well I thought without abandoning the true essence of the character. You still have the amazingly quick investigative brain of Sherlock, and the humorous and loyal friendship of Dr Watson. Speaking of Dr Watson, since when was Jude Law cool? I was never a fan of him before, but then all of a sudden he has taken the character of Watson, who had previously been somewhat of a bumbling sidekick and turned him into a pretty tough foil to Robert Downey Junior’s Sherlock Holmes. Seriously I wanted to dislike Jude Law but I physically couldn’t, and I put that down to good acting and a very genuine chemistry between him and Downey Jr. I even love the music to this movie, I don’t care if it’s not every critic’s cup of tea, I think it rules and I really hope they make a third.
You know what’s cool though? Whilst I have to wait for a potential third movie, I have the TV series to keep me happy. I actually think I might prefer the TV series, that’s not a bad mark against the movie; it’s just that with a TV series there is more freedom to explore the characters and more of an opportunity to explore the various Sherlock Holmes stories. There are so many things I like about this series. Most of all it has to be the acting and the characters. Benedict Cumberbatch really shows what a good actor he is as Sherlock. He really seems to find the balance between the brilliant mind of Sherlock Holmes against the slightly unhinged sociopathic side to his character. Alongside him, Martin Freeman does very well as Watson I feel, he doesn’t quite have the bad-assery of Jude Law’s Watson from the movies, but he more than makes up for that with a darker and more cynical character, who still manages to be the perfect foil to Sherlock. The one stand out character for me though has to be Dr Moriaty played by Andrew Scott. The guy is completely insane and Scott plays insane really well, I also think the fact that he is Irish adds a little something extra to the character, for some reason the accent just makes him seem all the more intimidating, and that’s something considering he isn’t a big guy or a very imposing figure. All of this means that the stories never drag and you never really notice that each episode is 90 minutes long, pretty much TV – movie length.
What you get with the two adaptations of the famous story is the perfect balance between all out Hollywood style action, and well crafted and extremely well written drama. Each has brilliant acting in my opinion and the performances are very appropriate for what each project is trying to do. I really am looking forward to the third film instalment, if there is one and also the third series, which is coming up later this year if I remember correctly either way both are awesome, both deserve plaudits and if anyone fancies hiring me to be a writer or anything that is the tiniest bit involved with either project, then I will literally slap the pope for the opportunity.
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