Review: Sherlock: Part One

Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis were sitting on a train and decided that together, they would create a modern series regarding Sherlock Holmes. And here, in three film-length instalments, is Sherlock. Expectations were high for this series, having the creative input of two of the most successful writers currently in the BBC, as well as a large budget.

            Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch, who previously played Van Gogh and Steven Hawking), a neurotic, intuitive genius employed as an independent detective by the police, meets and ends up sharing a flat with former army doctor Dr. Watson (Martin Freeman, from The Office, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Love, Actually.) They investigate a spate of four suicides, all of which seem conclusive but that Holmes is convinced are murders. Using a series of clues and a GPS tracker, Holmes tracks down the murderer as a homicidal taxi driver, with only a few months left to live and a sponsorship by a man fascinated by Holmes, who goes by the name of Moriaty. 

            The story is a good effort and the characters are introduced seamlessly, with good humour along the way. Freeman is a bit wooden, but that fits in with the character’s noted experiences in Afghanistan, and his decision to kill the villain before Holmes kills himself in a challenge shows how committed he now is to the detective, as well as showing weakness of character. There’s also a well-developed Sherlock, neurotic an obsessed with understanding everything.

            Very good, Mr Moffat, very good.

Thanks.