Thoughts on Sherlock (mostly good)
I'm pretty excited.
I have to admit, when I first saw the promo pictures I was a little worried, but the more I read about it, the more interested I am, for a few reasons.
One, I am a Doctor Who nerd, so I am familiar with both writers. Gatiss has only written a couple episodes of Doctor Who, but they were ones that definitely stuck with me. He has a distinct flair for drama, not at all in a bad way. Steven Moffat, on the other hand, has a huge imagination, but also a tendency to focus on very detailed and specific ideas that come from that imagination, which makes everything feel a little more tangible. Grand Moff (yes I am also a Star Wars nerd) has always been my favorite Doctor who writer specifically for his incredible imagination. According to Wikipedia, he'll have less of a hand in Sherlock now that it's been created, so that he can work on Doctor Who, but he was a major player in the creation of the show, which still has me very excited.
Another reason I'm excited comes from hearing the thought process behind the creation of the show. Because it doesn't sound like a bunch of people wanting to use the adventures to make a lot of money by employing heart throb actors and dashing British accents. It literally came from two guys who are huge fans of the stories, and who have an incredible sense of storytelling. It came from the kinds of conversations I have with my friends all the time (because, being an English major, I have in depth literary discussions for fun), about parallels between worlds, and how important the time period is to the concepts presented in the stories. It can be dramatic and successful, but it can also focus on the really important things. That's why I'm not worried about the whole "being set in a modern era" thing. The important bits will still be there.
Thirdly, Martin Freeman. Oh yes.
My only complaints so far are of physical features. Is Watson really not going to have a moustache? I don't think the series has ever specified that he did, so I guess it's not a problem, it'll just be, well, fascinating if he doesn't since every single image of him ever has included a moustache, giving us a quintissential Watson image that somehow resides in all our heads. Also it'll be a bit disconcerting if he doesn't have one. It's become so familiar.
Also Holmes is really pretty. He looks exactly like a kid I know from university, easily the most attractive male in the school. I don't know anything about his acting ability, but I trust the production team to get it right, so it probably won't matter, but... still.
That being said, I just watched a trailer (found HERE) and oh my goodness his voice. Now he both looks and sounds like this kid I know. (the kid I know is the lead bass in choir and can only speak at that pitch). Now that I've seen the trailer, I have a better sense of what the series is going to be like, and I'm still definitely looking forward to it. They've interpreted the characters really well, giving them the modern mannarisms the originals would have had were the stories set in this century. And was that Lestrade in the trailer? Lestrade is my favorite person to write for, and I just find him so endearing. The guy playing him (the guy I think is playing him) is a little too big and manly for my tastes, but he gets the mannarisms right, as far as I can tell. I guess I have to wait for the series to come out instead of sitting and speculating.
lj comm: sherlockbbc
I have to admit, when I first saw the promo pictures I was a little worried, but the more I read about it, the more interested I am, for a few reasons.
One, I am a Doctor Who nerd, so I am familiar with both writers. Gatiss has only written a couple episodes of Doctor Who, but they were ones that definitely stuck with me. He has a distinct flair for drama, not at all in a bad way. Steven Moffat, on the other hand, has a huge imagination, but also a tendency to focus on very detailed and specific ideas that come from that imagination, which makes everything feel a little more tangible. Grand Moff (yes I am also a Star Wars nerd) has always been my favorite Doctor who writer specifically for his incredible imagination. According to Wikipedia, he'll have less of a hand in Sherlock now that it's been created, so that he can work on Doctor Who, but he was a major player in the creation of the show, which still has me very excited.
Another reason I'm excited comes from hearing the thought process behind the creation of the show. Because it doesn't sound like a bunch of people wanting to use the adventures to make a lot of money by employing heart throb actors and dashing British accents. It literally came from two guys who are huge fans of the stories, and who have an incredible sense of storytelling. It came from the kinds of conversations I have with my friends all the time (because, being an English major, I have in depth literary discussions for fun), about parallels between worlds, and how important the time period is to the concepts presented in the stories. It can be dramatic and successful, but it can also focus on the really important things. That's why I'm not worried about the whole "being set in a modern era" thing. The important bits will still be there.
Thirdly, Martin Freeman. Oh yes.
My only complaints so far are of physical features. Is Watson really not going to have a moustache? I don't think the series has ever specified that he did, so I guess it's not a problem, it'll just be, well, fascinating if he doesn't since every single image of him ever has included a moustache, giving us a quintissential Watson image that somehow resides in all our heads. Also it'll be a bit disconcerting if he doesn't have one. It's become so familiar.
Also Holmes is really pretty. He looks exactly like a kid I know from university, easily the most attractive male in the school. I don't know anything about his acting ability, but I trust the production team to get it right, so it probably won't matter, but... still.
That being said, I just watched a trailer (found HERE) and oh my goodness his voice. Now he both looks and sounds like this kid I know. (the kid I know is the lead bass in choir and can only speak at that pitch). Now that I've seen the trailer, I have a better sense of what the series is going to be like, and I'm still definitely looking forward to it. They've interpreted the characters really well, giving them the modern mannarisms the originals would have had were the stories set in this century. And was that Lestrade in the trailer? Lestrade is my favorite person to write for, and I just find him so endearing. The guy playing him (the guy I think is playing him) is a little too big and manly for my tastes, but he gets the mannarisms right, as far as I can tell. I guess I have to wait for the series to come out instead of sitting and speculating.
lj comm: sherlockbbc