Sherlock

Britain is the country of Shakespeare, Churchill, the Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter, David Beckham's right foot, and, speaking of which, David Beckham's left foot, and BBC's Sherlock, you might add. After three absolutely perfect seasons, I can safely say that there will only be one Sherlock Holmes. You’ve just got to love Benedict Cumberbatch's performance. What’s more, Martin Freeman complements him in an absolutely brilliant way, and few characters have ever represented the audience's emotions so precisely. Freeman’s Watson perfectly mirrors how the viewer feels when watching Sherlock in this masterpiece. A spectacular series which makes it a torture for any fan to wait two years for the next season. PS: It’s been mentioned a hundred times before but let me say it anyway. “A Scandal in Belgravia” belongs to one of those moments that justify the invention of television as such. Absolute precision in every detail. And the conclusion? Perfection, sending shivers down my spine. (01/14/2014)

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)

Season 1: I have to say that I haven't had the pleasure of seeing such a well-executed update in a long time. Formally, the BBC series is made according to all the rules of modernity, but there are moments that seem unusually old-fashioned, and which seem to return the world of contemporary London, with all its proprieties, back to the dark and winding streets in which all sorts of scum can be found. Sherlock remains at its core the most traditional detective story for which action and dynamism are a means to irony (a stroboscopically chaotic brawl at the Planetarium in the Great Game, earthy grains in a Chinese circus in The Blind Banker, etc.). The main weapons of the character, brought to life with brilliant incisiveness by Benedict Cumberbatch, are deduction and sarcasm. And the main weapon of the series is the breathtaking Watson-Holmes duet, which surpasses Ritchie's more famous roster by two levels. At the same time, however, both the characters and the cases are extremely faithful to the spirit of Doyle's work, without limiting them in the foxy pop culture. It is boundless pleasure to see Holmes subdue and reinterpret modern series mantras, and it gives you the impudent opportunity to see how the Hound of Baskerville, played by this creative group, would turn out. Sherlock simply brings back the dark and bewitching mystery that has always been part of traditional detective stories, and the series manages to do so without having to go back in time. Which, from my point of view, is undoubtedly genius. (08/17/2010)

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)

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)