Sherlock

As usual, I will deviate from the norm and be considered a heretic when I award two stars to the 14th best TV series (according to FilmBooster). However, in this case, a single episode with a feature-length runtime was enough for me to realize that this project was not my cup of tea. I have no love for the cult book series by Arthur Conan Doyle, and the same can be said for his detective hero because these classic detective stories always seemed contrived and tinged with typical British class and social snobbery to me. I accept modern adaptations if they delve into the realm of parody or general humor, as was successfully achieved in Guy Ritchie's pop culture-themed version. However, this interpretation aims more toward teenagers, and I am simply older. Generally speaking, when classic works are packaged for teenagers, they usually get a spanking from me. These two stars are not so much for the professional execution, but rather for the emotions evoked by the bored, self-centered young genius and his equally matched negative counterpart. Overall impression: 45%. (06/27/2011)

What a shame that the series did not end after Season 2, in which case I would have given it five stars. I liked the first two seasons a lot. I was greatly entertained by the story of Sherlock Holmes set in the modern world. However, the quality of Season 3 dropped down to mediocre and Season 4 was just a desperate attempt to make something out of nothing. (04/17/2019)

1: No shit. Great casting, I was really surprised by Martin Freeman. Cutting Brit humor, great one-liners and all that in an excellent detective story. The setting in the present is no problem, in fact it breathes fresh air into Doyle’s classic story. 2: Not as snappy as the first episode, but thanks to cyphers, codes and the exotic from China it’s still really engrossing. 3: A whirlwind of cases and the final confrontation with M are a great ending to the first three episodes. Pleased to see Golem and Czech curiosities. I’m intrigued to see what comes next. (12/24/2012)

After the end of the third episode, saliva was running down my chin and I was like a hungry dog looking for the next murder that would be entertaining enough for Sherlock to take it on. He is a hero from the ranks of absolute anti-social types like Dr. House or Sheldon Cooper, whose brilliant minds are perfectly at work and are absolutely useless and unbearable in the context of ordinary life on this planet. The type-perfect Cumberbatch/Freeman duo works perfectly, the verbal jabs never end, the cases are really catchy, and most of all it's all incredibly entertaining. Even the weaker second episode (weaker within the series, in a regular production it would stick out like a pitchfork from the dung) doesn't stop me from joining all the praise. Edit: The second season takes it much further. Especially the opening episode A Scandal in Belgravia is a literal masterpiece. If only we didn't have to wait over a year for the next season. (08/24/2010)

I recently read somewhere that Sherlock is the most frequently adapted literary character, so how could yet another version of him, this time in a TV series, possibly excite me? Especially one where there are only a handful of episodes, but each runs 90 minutes—and it’s, once again, from the UK? Well, surprisingly, it works. Bringing Sherlock into the modern era is actually pretty effective, and it keeps me interested enough to keep watching. Normally, when I think of Sherlock, I picture the 19th century, not a contemporary guy who everyone thinks is a bit of a nutcase. Still, while I enjoyed it, it didn’t grab me as much as I hoped. Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant as Sherlock, and Martin Freeman nails it as Dr. Watson. The stories are solid, and at times, they’re quite original, so I’ll definitely keep watching. But for me, it doesn’t quite hit the level of a four-star rating. It’s still just another Sherlock adaptation—hopefully the last one. (02/07/2012)