A Study in Pink

A contemporary adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes novel 'A Study In Scarlet'.

This is an excellent feature length television episode with a good use of the source material, solid production values and great performances.

The plot loosely follows the concept of the original story but provides enough original material to make it fresh and interesting. Particularly towards the end it gets very compelling, although it's not hugely suspenseful because you know Holmes' life would not really be in danger. You do, as much as Holmes, want to know how the antagonist can do what he claims to do.

What makes it work so well is the star power and charisma of the lead characters. These are two great actors playing two great characters and they constantly entertain thanks in part to the dialogue.

Visually it is excellent, with strong cinematography, editing and art design. I was not completely sold on the amount of title sequences used to help viewers keep up with Holmes' observations, particularly when he explains it a few minutes later, but this is a matter of taste.

Generally, the use of modern technology in place of the traditional devices with the same principle in the books is another strength of the production.

I have avoided this for over 10 years for being yet another Holmes adaptation, but have to admit it surpassed my expectation.

They say a true classic is something that, despite costumes and taking place in another time, remains timeless. And we see with Shakespeare and other great writers, their plays are often put into modern settings and still work. The same is true of classic characters.

"Sherlock" brings Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson into the 21st Century. This isn't, of course, the first time these two have worked and lived in modern times, as the Sherlock Holmes film series starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce was used as propaganda during World War II.

This time, though, Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) is young, working in the lab where he met Watson (Martin Freeman), the army doctor. Here, Watson has just returned from Afghanistan and is trying to adapt to civilian life. In need of a roommate, but feeling that no one will want to live with him, a friend introduces him to someone else no one wants to live with - Sherlock. Sherlock's landlady, Mrs. Hudson (Uma Stubbs) has given Holmes a deal on an apartment at 221B Baker Street. Watson moves in, with some trepidation.

This first case, A Study in Pink, concerns a series of suicides from the same poison, committed by three unrelated people. Holmes thinks they were driven to it, but how? He is called in by Lestrade (Rupert Graves) when a woman is found dead and Lestrade becomes desperate. Watson goes along and soon finds himself caught up in Holmes' deduction.

Fast-moving, fascinating, and delightful, Holmes and Watson now have use of the Internet, GPS, and cell phones. Sherlock, in fact, is a great texter. He wears three nicotine patches because smoking in London has become impossible, and he meditates on a crime while wearing them. The other modern touch is that everyone thinks Holmes and Watson are gay lovers. Instead of stories, it's looking like Watson is going to be writing a blog. All of these modernisms are very effective and work well in the story.

Stage and TV actor, 34-year-old Benedict Cumberbatch is Holmes, thin, youthful, fast talking and attractive; and the slightly older Freeman is a serious and troubled Watson, not the buffoon of Nigel Bruce, but a person who perks up when he becomes involved in the excitement of Holmes' case. They make a good team.

Really can't wait for more of these - very enjoyable, suspenseful, and entertaining.

John Watson (played by Martin Freeman), an army doctor, is wounded in Afghanistan and invalided out of the Army. Back in London his search for a place to stay leads him to share a flat with Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch), a brilliant but eccentric private detective. He has hardly met Holmes when Holmes gets called in by Detective Inspector Lestrade to help on a case. People have been committing suicide in identical fashion - by a poisoned pill. The police are calling it "serial suicide" but it is clearly the work of a serial killer.

A great start to the series. Intriguing, engaging and sets the tone and background for the series. We are introduced to Holmes' methods and genius, see how Watson and Holmes met and see what Watson brings to the partnership.

Case itself is quite fascinating and a good test of Holmes' intellect.

Much like any 'modern' (set in present day, as opposed to a recent production set in period) remakes of Shakespeare or Sherlock Holmes, they're not quite the same. Not being and aficionado of either, I must say that after watching this on PBS last night, I found it very intriguing, well directed and acted, and a great pleasure to watch. This is a show that I would definitely add to my collection. I did enjoy it more than Guy Ritchie's Sherlock. Not knowing A.C.Doyle's version that well, I found it interesting to find out the relationship between Holmes' and the British Police/Gov't official. Also not knowing anything about Dr Watson's past, I found his character to be intriguing .

A sharp, witty modernization of the Holmes mythos, the first in this ongoing series of feature-length chapters almost perfectly strikes the difficult balance between respect for the source material and fresh, original elaborations. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are equally prickly, sardonic and brilliant as Holmes and Watson, respectively, both to the common folks they're tripping over at every turn and to each other while they hash out the boundaries of their burgeoning friendship. Smart, fresh editing techniques give the audience an abundance of visual hints to Sherlock's methods at a crime scene, and also give the transitions between each scene a sleek, artsy edge that helps to convince this is more than a made-for-TV movie. Though it does occasionally leave Holmes himself in the dark just a bit too long in hopes that viewers at home will figure things out first, that's a very minor gripe and one I'm not entirely sure is actually a negative in this era of the deus ex machina. A bold, rewarding first step that sets the ball into motion for any number of future developments.