Television

[kid-glove]

Cumberbatch is excellent. Self-congratulating yes, but a much more arresting performance than Downey IMO. Martin Freeman as Watson is far better than Jude Law. Overall, it's the direction that makes use of texts, visuals, & sounds in interesting manner. Ritchie's film versions are empty exercises in big budget action, with humor (lot more to do with RDJ than with the jokes themselves, I'd think. and also the homo-erotic humor that's part of any version. Except it's far more unrefined in the film with cross-dressing hugs, cringe!) This is contemporary but retains the qualities in interesting, arresting ways!