Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock: Seasons 1-4 & Abominable Bride Gift Set

 

This set is just the packaging of all four seasons, plus the special episode that bridged seasons 3 and 4, The Abominable Bride. You get all the same blu-ray packaging and content that you would have gotten if you purchased the seasons individually. There are no special extras for getting this set.

Sherlock was a series that aired on BBC from 2010 to 2017. It starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. It ran for a total of four seasons that consisted of essentially three hour-and-a-half-long movies per season and had one stand-alone episode that bridged seasons three and four. Each episode told modified stories from the books. Except for the stand-alone episode "The Abominable Bride," set the stores in modern-day England. The Abominable Bride was the only episode with the story (mostly) set in the late 1800s. The show sported a great cast, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman at the head as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively. The two had great chemistry, bringing to life the relationship between Holmes and Watson set out in the stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and adapted by the series' writers. The series gets progressively darker over time, which not everyone that is a fan of the show likes. The writers do an interesting job with the character of Moriarty, who is, of course, Sherlock's main adversary. He is used relatively sparingly throughout the series, really only being the focus of one episode, but in the background of almost all of them. Andrew Scott does a great job with the character and definitely makes him a worthy adversary for Sherlock.

The Blu-ray extras are more extensive in seasons one and two than in seasons three and four. They generally include commentary tracks, as well as behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes. There are no deleted or extended scenes. For season one, the show's original pilot is included, which was remade when the network decided it wanted longer episodes. Overall, the series is very good to great. It, of course, made Cumberbatch and Freeman breakout stars. Still, the entire cast, whether they were series regulars like Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs, or Louise Brealey, or recurring or one-off characters like Mark Gattis (who was also the co-creator of the show), Andrew Scott, or Lara Pulver, was always wonderful.

As others have noted, the first set I received was really beaten up, with all the cases broken or cracked. I did a return and replacement and the second set was fine. So, definitely check out your set immediately because it seems like a bad batch of them out there.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock Season 4

 

The fourth and (likely) final season of Sherlock aired in January 2017. The season includes a lot of twists, characters being killed off, new characters being introduced, and a fracture of the team. I will not say too much to avoid spoiling it for anyone who has not seen it, but the show definitely took a darker turn this season, even more so than some of the dark elements of the prior seasons. The show does definitively confirm Moriarty is dead, even though they have had Sherlock say he was in the prior season, it was always seen as fairly open-ended, especially with the ending of season three. That is especially since they kept finding ways to fit him into the storylines. But, we learned that he had essentially teamed up with someone even worse who has ties to Sherlock and wreaks havoc in the final episode.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The show looks and sounds great in the HD format. For extras, there are three twenty-minute or so behind the scenes features on the three episodes, one for each episode. Then there is about another 30 minutes worth of behind the scenes material that span the course of the season. One interesting tidbit is that the showrunners do not totally foreclose the possibility of further seasons. Still, given that it is getting harder to schedule Freeman and Cumberbatch, they ended the season in a way that it can be a series finale without any cliffhanger.

Overall, I enjoyed the season. It definitely took a turn in tone from the first couple of seasons and went even darker than the ending of season three. I cannot say that anyone who had been a fan of the show up to the fourth season will like or love it, a perusal of the reviews show that is not the case. That said, I think the acting and writing were top-notch, and I personally liked the darker tone, especially the final episode.

Blu-Ray/TV Movie Review: Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

 

The Abominable Bride is a single episode of Sherlock that aired in January 2016. It is, in part, a "what if" episode set primarily in the late 1890s. It shows what the series would have looked like if it had been set in the late 1800s instead of the modern day. It also serves as a bridge between the third season and fourth seasons of the show. So, it sort of jumped back and forth between time periods as each part of the story played out. I will not go into too much detail to avoid giving things away, but the writers managed to tell a good, "one-off" story, advance the modern-day story, and use Moriarty despite his death.

The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is excellent, as the show looks and sounds great in the HD format. The extras include some making-of and behind-the-scenes material, but there is no commentary track on the episode. Good for what was included, but not a ton of bonus material. Overall, if you are a fan of the show this is a must-see special event. Whether you consider it the end of season three, the beginning of season four, or just a special event, it is enjoyable, pays homage to the books while still putting its own spin on the story.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock Season 3

 

++++WARNING, this review contains spoilers about the end of Season 2, but no major Season 3 spoilers.++++

The third season of Sherlock aired in January 2014. It picks up after a time jump of approximately two years. Most everyone in England (including Watson) believes Sherlock to be dead after jumping off the building. Of course, the audience knows he survived from the season two closing shot of the third episode. We do not, however, know exactly how he survived. That question is answered in a fairly humorous form in the first episode, with the writers working in different guesses that the fans came up with in the intervening couple of years between seasons 2 and 3. We find that Watson has moved on (mostly) with his life, having entered a relationship with Mary. Lestrade is still on the force but is not as effective when not benefiting from Sherlock's help. Mycroft is keeping tabs on Sherlock until he needs his help. I will not say too much about the season to keep from spoiling it. Still, as you can imagine, John finds out Sherlock is alive, which does not go over too well, and the show still manages to make use of Moriarty, even after he shot himself on the roof at the end of season two.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The show still looks and sounds great in the HD format, but this season's Blu-Ray release is much lighter on extras than what was provided in physical media releases for the first two seasons. There are no commentary tracks in this season's release. There is just one making-of featurette on the second disc. If you only get the physical discs if there are a ton of extras, this does not fit into that category. Overall, I would say that if you liked or loved the prior seasons, you will probably like this one. On the other hand, if you were not a big fan of the prior seasons (or lukewarm to them), there is probably not anything about this season that is likely to change your mind. The acting is still top-notch, and the writing, while a bit more uneven this season, is still good on the whole.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock Season 2

 

The second season of Sherlock aired in January 2012. It follows the first season's format, with the episodes being three movie-length shows instead of six 45-minute episodes. The first episode picks up where the first season cliffhanger left off, showing the resolution of the standoff with Moriarty (who is used sparingly from that point until the third episode) which leads into that episode's story. The three episodes again have fairly independent stories with the third being the big Moriarty tie back episode. The season again ends on a cliffhanger, but it is a bit different than the kind of cliffhanger that ended the first season.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the episodes are spread across two discs, with the first two episodes on disc one and the third on the second disc. For extras, there are commentary tracks on episodes one and two and a behind-the-scenes featurette that runs approximately 20 minutes on disc two. It's not a ton of material, but what was included is good.

Overall, if you liked or loved the first season, you will likely feel the same about this one. The acting and writing continue to be top-notch, with the episodes paying homage to the books, but putting a modern spin on the stories. Cumberbatch and Freeman continue to have great chemistry and play their roles to perfection. And, the various supporting actors (both regular and the ones brought in for a particular episode) are great as well. I definitely recommend the show.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock Season 1

 

Sherlock is a series that aired on BBC for four seasons from 2010 to 2017.  It starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Mark Gatiss (also one of the series creators) played Mycroft Holmes, Rupert Graves played Inspector Lestrade, Una Stubbs played Mrs Hudson, and Andrew Scott played Moriarty. The twist on this version is that it is set in the modern-day as opposed to the 1800s. So, Watson is a veteran of the Afghan war, and they are using cell phones, computers, etc. Sherlock is an eccentric and borderline-crazy detective who is a master of deduction and observation. The deductions are shown through words flashed on the screen as Sherlock looks at things. If you have read all the Holmes stories, you will recognize the main plot points for each episode, but the stories are heavily adapted to add elements that work in the updated setting and remove elements that do not.

The season is set up as three TV movie-length episodes (1.5 hrs each). They are mostly independent stories selected from the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mixed with a larger thread throughout the episodes regarding Moriarty, who is revealed in a wonderful scene. 

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The A/V quality was mixed. The visuals were great, but the audio was just okay. The audio is quiet when the episodes are playing, which requires turning the volume on the TV way up and then way back down when the menu screen is on. One thing that would make the set better is a proper play-all mode that lets you pick up where you leave off if you stop the player. Those issues aside, the show is worth getting on blu-ray if you like getting physical discs. The extras include commentary tracks on the first and third episodes, a half-hour-long making-of feature, and the original, shorter pilot episode made before the studio wanted the extra half-hour. Overall, the season was well-written and acted. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Doctor Strange

 

Doctor Strange is one of the 2016 entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The movie tells the origin story of Doctor Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) and, in turn, brings sorcery and magic into the MCU/Avengers universe. It is the most different and unique movie of the movies and TV shows that Marvel has put out to this point (which tells one very long interweaved story). It also provides insight into how the settings of Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, and The Avengers will all connect together. Granted, Thor can come to Earth on his own, but this movie provides another way for other characters to go to Asgard.

The story itself is fairly basic and tells the story of an egotistical doctor who loses the ability to operate after an accident and, while trying to heal himself, ends up in the world of magic. It is part a movie about him training and learning to use his powers and part battling the forces of darkness and the story's main villain (played by Mads Mikkelsen). The supporting cast comprises Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, and Benedict Wong. They all do very well in their respective roles. There are end-credit sequences, as you would expect. One that sets up one of the next MCU movies and one that is likely the beginning of the storyline for the Doctor Strange sequel.

For those who get the blu-ray, it looks and sounds great. It has the best visual effects of all the Marvel Movies so far, and they come out on blu-ray. For extras, there are about an hour of various making-of and behind-the-scenes features, a gag reel, a short comedy feature with Thor, and a commentary track from the director. Very good for what is there.

All in all, the movie is well-written and acted. It does not do too much, just setting up the character and giving him a good introductory storyline to work with. It is visually stunning but tells a good enough story that the special effects do not dominate the entire film. If you have collected the other movies and/or shows up to this point, chances are you will buy this anyway, but if you only have some of them, this is definitely worth adding to your collection.