I love all Sherlock Holmes stories, even the recent movie with
Robert Downey, Jr. This recent BBC version is awesome. It's a series, but
it is really more like a series of short films. Each episode is 90 minutes long.
The DVD set only has three episodes (well, sort of four). I wish there
were more! I can't wait for the second season.
Even though this show is set in modern times, they have taken
great care to preserve a lot of the original Sherlock Holmes lore, such as the
names of the characters, where Holmes and Watson lived, and many other things.
In the series, Holmes seems to be a little bit of Gregory House, a little bit of
Doctor Who, a little bit of Patrick Jane, and a little bit of Adrian Monk.
The Doctor Who part isn't too surprising, since the people who created this
series also work on Doctor Who. They have done a great job here of casting
and writing the show.
The actor who plays Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch, is amazing. He
is good at conveying Holmes arrogance and obnoxiousness, but he also surprises
us with moments of vulnerability and even glee. (I could see him as another
Doctor Who, as well - he has great energy). The actor who plays Watsin, Martin
Freeman, is also very good. Watson has to be a little more subdued, but also
strong enough to be Holmes' sidekick and biographer. The stores are really
good.
The first episode is great, everything you would expect to draw
you into the story and see how this new version goes. The second story I found a
little bit boring, at least as far as the murders and the espionage, but the
character stuff was great. The third story was really good, and it made me
laugh quite a bit as well (not that it was all fun, and it had an exciting
cliffhanger ending). There is also the original pilot that they filmed,
which was only an hour long. They redid it as the 90 minute version, so you can
watch and compare.
The extras include two commentaries of the episodes with the
writers and actors; and "Unlocking Sherlock" which tells you all about how the
show came to be. It could definitely use some more extras, to be sure.
However, this is a great set for any Sherlock Holmes fan, or anyone who loves
good drama or mystery, or British television.
Other info:
Sherlock: Season One DVD!
BBC America DVD release of Sherlock: Season One is out...
Synopsis: A contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories,
Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day
London. Co-created by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Coupling) and Mark Gatiss,
Sherlock stars BAFTA-nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (Atonement, The Last Enemy) as
the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman (The Office, Love Actually), as his
loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade. The
iconic details from Conan Doyle's original books remain - they live at the same
address, have the same names and, somewhere out there, Moriarty is waiting for
them. And so across three thrilling, scary, action-packed and highly modern-day
adventures, Holmes and Watson navigate a maze of cryptic clues and lethal
killers to get at the truth.
Available on DVD: November 9th
Official Site URL:
http://www.bbcamericashop.com/
Links:
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_100.asx
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_300.asx
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_500.asx
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_56.asx
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_100.mov
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_300.mov
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_500.mov
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_56.mov
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_700.mov
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_100.wmv
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_300.wmv
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_320x.flv
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_480x.flv
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_500.wmv
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_540x.flv
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_56.wmv
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_100.mov
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_300.mov
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_500.mov
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_56.mov
Ep01_Clip_05_DV_qt_700.mov
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