Guy Ritchie’s recent form may have prejudiced some people from seeing Sherlock Holmes at the cinemas last year, but in the event it was the combination of a great cast, a fitting score and a tamed Ritchie behind the camera which led to a roaring success at the box office.
We enjoyed the film very much, you can read our review here, in particular Downey Jr’s take on the famous detective and the always excellent Mark Strong putting in another wonderful villainous performance as Lord Blackwood, and there was a tangible spark in the dialogue and almost luxuriant detail in the costume and set design which distanced it from previous adaptations.
So how does Guy Ritchie’s energetic update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective fare on the small screen? It has become a trend to release a Blu-ray version of a film with a DVD or a digital copy as a bonus, and Warner Bros have elected to release all three in one box, which is great for those who want to watch a HD copy alongside the regular DVD while propping an iPod up against their TV, but it also serves the purpose of encouraging the HD averse into bring a Blu-ray into their homes for the inevitable upgrade.
And while we only got to see the regular DVD for this review there’s no doubting the visual excellence of Ritchie’s film which would benefit from the Blu-ray transfer immeasurably. As it is the DVD gets a little badly treated with only one, albeit pretty good, documentary on the making of the film, which travels behind the scenes to include talking heads from the cast and crew as well as a good look at how they put some of the set pieces together. Seeing Ritchie, Law and Downey Jr. on set is a lot of fun, and, while it’s a short experience, fans of the film are certain to enjoy it.
It’s a fun film, and Downey Jr. and Jude Law make for an engaging couple, and while it’s more akin to Young Sherlock Holmes than a full on interpretation of classic Holmes there is much to enjoy, and if you missed it at the cinemas this is the perfect time to check it out.
My advice, if you want a full Sherlock Holmes experience and if you can, go for the Blu-ray, the list of special features below will probably convince you.
Sherlock Holmes is out on DVD and Blu-ray on the 17th of May.
DVD:
• Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented – Together, Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. have reinvented Sherlock Holmes. See how these two reinterpret the master sleuth and how Downey prepares for the role and why his Thespian approach takes this classic character to levels never depicted before.
Blu-ray Disc:
• Director Guy Ritchie Walk On
• Picture in Picture commentary
• Story Board Comparisons
• Still Gallery
• Timeline
• Focus Points; Drawbridges & Dollies: Designing a Late Victorian London
• Not a Deerstalker Cap in Sight
• Ba-ritsu: A Tutorial
• Elementary English: Perfecting Sherlock’s Accent
• The One That Got Away
• Powers of Observation and Deduction
• The Sherlockians
• Future Past
• Sherlock Holmes Reinvented
