Sherlock

Sherlock Holmes is the most represented character in the history of movies. More than Dracula, more than Tarzan, more than James Bond. Literally hundreds of Sherlock movies have been made, and every generation seems to have "their" Sherlock, whether it's Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, or for some now Robert Downey, Jr. But after watching the BBC series Sherlock, my Sherlock Holmes is and will forever be Benedict Cumberbatch. His extraordinary work as Sherlock carries the series, along with the wonderful chemistry he has with his Dr. John Watson, played by The Office (UK) and The Hobbit's Martin Freeman. Their banter, the fact that people keep thinking they're a couple, which often goes over the head of the socially inept Sherlock. All of it makes for our strong central relationship, taking us through murder and theft and national security cases the pair take on. They're a joy to watch, but they're not the only reason to watch.

Gorgeously filmed and edited, the supporting parts are perfectly cast as well, especially series co-creator/writer Mark Gatiss as Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes and Louise Brealey as Molly, the poor morgue assistant that has a crush on an oblivious Sherlock. The way they use text overlays to let us into part of Sherlock's mind, as well as the extreme close-ups that show us the tiny details that only Sherlock sees. All immerse us into this world better than any other version of Holmes I've seen. And Cumberbatch's eyes and body language convey so much about the internal Sherlock, he's often fun to just sit and watch think. But, no hero is complete without his arch-nemesis. No Sherlock can exist without his Moriarty. And baby faced Andrew Scott makes for an astounding foil. Though he doesn't show up until later than I expected, we see his plans unfold and know the kind of forethought that goes into his actions, but when we meet him there's a certain unhinged quality to him that makes him seem much more formidable. We're not really sure what he's going to do or how.

So very unlike American TV series, Sherlock is made up, currently, of two seasons of 3 episodes. Each episode, though, is 90 minutes long. So they essentially made 6 movies in a franchise, and are supposedly filming season 3 right now. Cumberbatch is likely to become a bigger American star in a few days when the new Star Trek movie is released, in which he plays the main villain. It'll be interesting to see, since for me he's my Sherlock! I root for him. I even laugh when someone calls him a psychopath and he angrily yells "I'm a highly functioning sociopath, do your research!" So I'm not sure how I'll take him as the bad guy. No doubt I'll love it, because he's a wonderful actor, but I'd rather see more Sherlock. I'm especially excited because I think I like the second season better than the first, so I can't wait to see where it goes from here. It's quickly become one of my all-time favorite TV shows.