Sherlock

With Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman

I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. I remember listening to audio versions while riding in the car as a child. When I heard that the BBC was doing a modern Sherlock I scoffed at the idea. I don’t like many remakes and I didn’t know how they could do a modern version and yet remain faithful to the characters.

The BBC created the series SHERLOCK to be three hour long episodes. It takes well known characters and some familiar stories and puts a whole new twist on them. It doesn’t shy away from the modern aspect, but uses it to show more of Sherlock’s brilliance and social inelegance. But he is still a likeable character, even with all of his arrogance. They show it well through other characters that appear in the episodes.

The things that draw me in:
The characters are perfect. I didn’t think that they would be able to find actors who would be able to pull off such iconic characters, but they did. While I do love Sherlock (Cumberbatch), I think that Watson (Freeman) is even more perfect. They don’t make him a bumbling idiot, which has always bothered me with many Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Watson is intelligent in his own right and is able to aide Sherlock in several situations. As I mentioned earlier the technology didn’t draw away from the story but actually added more depth than I realized it could. I like how they show Sherlock noticing the details. I wasn't sure how they were going to show what was in his head but they did it. It isn't always the most graceful intrusions, but it gets the point across.

The things that kick me out:
Really? Only three, 90 min episodes. Now there is a season two, but that makes six episodes total. I hope that there is at least one more season. Some people may think that Sherlock is a little over the top in his performance and characterization. But to me, he is Sherlock, even if he is a bit over the top at times.

Conclusion
Should you watch the series? Yes. You have to give it a try. It is readily available on Netflix and Amazon. My local library even has it.

Should you buy the series? If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, buy it. It is well worth the money even if you haven’t seen it.