Tweet
Released by: BBC/Warner Brothers
Released on: 11/09/2010
Director: Various
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman
Year: 2009
Purchase From Amazon
The Series:
From Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the team that updated Dr. Who for the BBC rather successfully, comes Sherlock, a revamped take on Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth which originally aired on British television and now comes to Blu-ray (and DVD) courtesy of the BBC's home video division and Warner Brothers.
The series starts Benedict Cumberbatch as a younger Sherlock Holmes who deals with life in more modern times than his Victorian era counterpart. Like the Holmes who came before him, he deals with a drug addiction problem, but so too like his predecessor, he's a brilliant detective - and in this version he works as a forensics investigator, much to the dismay of many of the local police officers who he has run in's with. He's also a bit of an arrogant jerk who finds more comfort in modern technology and socializing over the internet than he does with honest to goodness human interaction. He winds up becoming roommates (in a Baker Street flat, of course!) with a veteran of the Afghanistan war named Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) who is himself dealing with some problems of his own, not the least of which is some rather serious pain in his leg.
Holmes eventually convinces Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) to let him help out on an investigation and it's then that his talents start to become more obvious. He and Watson soon find themselves in an effort to prove that what the police believe to be a series of suicides are actually a series of murders in the first story arc, A Study In Pink (Conan Doyle fans will get the reference). The second case finds the due investigating a couple of murders wherein the victims were literally warned about what would happen to them by some bizarre graffiti in a story arc called The Blind Banker, while the third case, The Great Game, finds Holmes being antagonized by a mysterious and unknown antagonist who is essentially leading him on a wild goose chase around London and forcing him to solve a series of odd crimes.
Unlike Hollywood's turd flavored blockbuster (shame on you, Guy Ritchie!), the BBC's modernization of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic character is actually really well done. Cumberbatch and Freeman make for an interesting pair with Cumberbatch really fitting into the role quite well. The pair has an interesting if begrudging relationship that develops and while they're believably modern they still fit the mold that was cast by Conan Doyle so many years ago. The two work well together and have a quirky chemistry that winds up making them a lot of fun to watch.
The series has also got a fair bit of style behind it, without ever feeling forced or overdone. It's well shot, it features some nice production values, and it does a good job of working modern technology into the storylines without letting it take away from the storylines and mystery solving aspects of the series. The scripts are well written and often very clever - they'll keep you guessing along with the characters as various events play out and they're not nearly as predictable as so many movies and TV series tend to be these days. Of course, it all ends on a cliffhanger, to keep us interested in where the series is going to go from here and to keep us wanting more from the characters, but when they're as well written and well acted as they are here, that's maybe not a bad thing - so long as the second series delivers on the same level that this first one did.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The VC-1 encoded 1.78.1 1080p anamorphic widescreen transfers given the episodes in this set do a really good job of showing off the series' intended look. Detail is very strong, better than the broadcast versions ever were. There are some minor problems with mpeg compression artifacts and aliasing but no heavy edge enhancement while black levels stay strong and shadow detail remains consistently impressive. Skin tones look nice and lifelike, never too pink or waxy, and never showing off any problems with the authoring or encoding. The discs have been encoded quite well, generally speaking, and the picture quality is strong enough to frequently impress.
Sherlock, like so many Warner TV series', arrives on Blu-ray with a standard definition English language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix. Subtitles are offered up in English SDH, French, and Spanish. It would have been nice to see a lossless option provided here, but at least the 5.1 track has some good ambience. Channel separation isn't a constant but there's enough of it here to ensure that you'll notice it. Dialogue is clear enough and the levels are well balanced. There aren't any specific problems with the mix to note, but as you listen to it you'll notice instances where a lossless track probably could have offered up more punch.
There aren't a ton of extra on this set but there are a few supplements that fans will want to check out, starting with the two audio commentaries that are supplied for the A Study In Pink (Stephen Moffat, Mark Gatiss, and Sue Vertue) and The Great Game (with Mark Gatiss, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman) episodes. These are pretty informative talks that cover the writing and creative process in a fair bit of detail. The second track gives us the performer's perspective on the series as well.
There are also two video extras included here, a featurette called Unlocking Sherlock (32.37) and the pilot version of A Study in Pink (55.17), both of which are in high definition. The documentary is interesting, though honestly it could have been longer and been better for it, while the pilot basically tells the same story as the feature version, just in less time and with slightly different sets and a few tweaks. Menus and episode selection are also included.
The Final Word:
Despite Warner's insistence on including lossy audio mixes on their TV Blu-ray releases, this is otherwise a fine set. More extras would have been welcome but the bonuses here are good ones and the transfers are solid. The show itself is a lot of good fun, presenting a series of wholly engaging mysteries with wit and style.