Sherlock Review: Holmes for the Smartphone Age
8.5/10 — Sherlock (2010)
Pros
- Cumberbatch and Freeman's partnership
- Inventive visual style
- Andrew Scott's Moriarty
Cons
- Overcomplicated later plots
- Disappointing fourth series
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss update Sherlock Holmes to present-day London, with Cumberbatch as the brilliant, abrasive detective and Freeman as an army doctor, John Watson. Each series has three feature-length episodes.
What works
The chemistry between Cumberbatch and Freeman is superb, and the on-screen text and mind palace sequences are inventive. Andrew Scott’s Moriarty is a gleefully unhinged villain, and the early episodes, like ‘A Study in Pink’ and ‘A Scandal in Belgravia’, are brilliant.
Where it falters
The plots became increasingly convoluted and far-fetched, and the fourth series was widely seen as a disappointment.
Verdict
Dazzling early on, but it lost its way later.
