I love the Sherlock franchise from the 1940s to the 80s tv series to the Robert Downey ones to the Cumberbatch BBC tv series (love that one), but this 70s take is not one of my faves. It's oddly slow. I say "oddly" because there's lots of movement and antics and dialogue, but the scenes are overlong (good lord, will the russian scenes ever end?), and the plot is slow. Clearly, the creatives here wanted that style of cluttered visuals and leisurely plotting, but leisurely plotting isn't part of the Sherlock canon, is it?
And then there's Watson's character. Again, it's clearly a creative decision to make him so prone to hysterics and slapstick, but this movie overdoes it, and overdoes it a bit too overtly.
As for Sherlock's character, he falls within the general parameters of what we envision. Props, costuming, and art direction are wonderfully detailed, and fulfiilling in their Victorian splendor.
I saved the best for last: this version FINALLY puts the LGBT aspects forward. It's a running joke that Holmes and Watson have some kind of relationship that's more romantically fulfilling than is normally depicted, but it's more like a coquettish monty python gag, than anything remotely approaching lurid. It's almost "cute" to see how the filmmakers try to tease the joke into the dialogue, as if they're nuns trying to be naughty.
And then there's Watson's character. Again, it's clearly a creative decision to make him so prone to hysterics and slapstick, but this movie overdoes it, and overdoes it a bit too overtly.
As for Sherlock's character, he falls within the general parameters of what we envision. Props, costuming, and art direction are wonderfully detailed, and fulfiilling in their Victorian splendor.
I saved the best for last: this version FINALLY puts the LGBT aspects forward. It's a running joke that Holmes and Watson have some kind of relationship that's more romantically fulfilling than is normally depicted, but it's more like a coquettish monty python gag, than anything remotely approaching lurid. It's almost "cute" to see how the filmmakers try to tease the joke into the dialogue, as if they're nuns trying to be naughty.