Sherlock Holmes TV and Movie Adaptations

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Re: Sherlock Holmes TV and Movie Adaptations

Post by NicholsC97 »

I watch the Benedict Cumberbatch TV show and it is hilarious but I've never seen the other versions.
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Post by Nicole_Boyd »

My favorite Sherlock film was the second with Downey Jr. (the first was a bit dark for me) and I’ve really enjoyed the Sherlock TV series with Cumberbatch. He makes the perfect Sherlock!!
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Post by Nisha Ward »

My crime fiction lecturer hates the Guy Ritchie movies, but I absolutely love them. They may not be exactly true to the novels, but there's an obvious love in them that I didn't find in Sherlock. I've also heard that Elementary is a great adaptation.
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Post by TopaAzul062 »

The only television adaptation that I've seen feature Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone from the 1940s. I've tried the others but this version sticks out as my favorite. An honorable mention of TV adaptations goes to Wishbone as his versions were quite intriguing and memorable.

Oh and there's the cartoon series Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century that was pretty good too. Movie-wise the Downey and Law adaptions are the only versions that were viewed. There was one prior to these that I tried to watch but couldn't get into the characters.

With the 1940s adaptations featuring Rathbone and Bruce, the actors pretty much balanced each other out. Rathbone portrayed Holmes in a series yet casual manner especially when it came to scenes where he had to wear a disguise to fit in; which he did exceptionally well. Bruce's portrayal of Watson appeared almost effortless especially those moments when he would help Holmes solve a seemingly unsolvable mystery either by reminiscing about his youth or by thinking out loud.

Wishbone's take on Holmes is adorable but not without the mystery of who, how and why. To top it off, the events outside of his retelling of the story help to translate what is taking place so that viewers can follow along without getting lost. From here I was introduced to an upcoming show called Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century and to clarify, the Rathbone and Bruce Holmes were viewed after the kid shows.

The movies with Downey and Law caught me by surprise as I wasn't expecting them to be good; be it standalone or in comparison. Even my mom enjoyed these movies with a favorite being A Game of Shadows.
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Post by Artizi »

Most are just so frustrating, trying to give Sherlock a love interest, and worse of all, trying to force him into said love interest with Irene Adler. I feel the screenwriters rarely get this character at all.
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Post by ferry flawless »

I find the movies very amusing. Can't say the same for the books.
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ferry flawless
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Post by ferry flawless »

Benedict Cumberbatch did a great job in the serial.
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Post by beccabecky »

The books are amazing, but have rarely been a good adaptation, regretfully!
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Post by Falling4Ever »

I love Benadruf Cucumbeer for Sherlock! What a great actor, really compliments Martin Freeman!
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Post by NetMassimo »

I have to admit I was never particularly interested in Sherlock Holmes but I got curious by the recent TV show because it was produced by Steven Moffat, who at the time was alsow Doctor Who showrunner, and I liked it.
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Post by Chirlerona »

I was a big fan of Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch when it's just got released, but with the time the series became much darker and further from the original stories and it put me off.
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Post by ShayM08 »

It's difficult to say whether I like the Downey/Law movies or the Cumberbatch/Freeman show better.

I think they both set out with different goals in tone and they each nailed it. Downey/Law were the more comedic, light and fun. Cumberbatch/Freeman were the more realistic and highbrow.

Regardless, I love them both.
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Post by HeatherEi »

Great question! It's hard to pick. There's also HOUSE and Psych. I really liked the first Robert Downey Jr. movie and I also loved the episode of Sherlock titled "The Abominable Bride"
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Post by NovaFly »

I like the books and all of the adaptations I've seen, which includes the Downey jr films, BBC series and Elementary.
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Post by diamonnd »

I really liked the BBC show version, because I loved the modernization while still keeping very close to the original stories. It was undoubtedly one of my favorite shows, up until the 4th season at least when it went a bit off the rails and diverged from the original storyline too much.
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