Sherlock Holmes Collection

Rating:
Summary: Different, but quite fun!
Review: Although Jeremy Brett will always be my ideal Sherlock, Matt Frewer gives an absolutely terrific performance as the great detective in this 4 episode DVD collection.
While Brett portrays Holmes as brooding & meticulous, Frewer's interpretation is definitely more playful. Depending on how you expect your Holmes to be, you'll either love it or dispise it. As for myself, I enjoy all aspects and interpretations of Sherlockian, so I was able to incorporate it into my pantheon of Holmes personas. And if Frewer doesn't rock your boat as Sherlock, I think you might like the actor who plays Dr. Watson, who has become my favorite Watson to date.
The price for this DVD collection is very reasonable, so give it a try! It may surprise you.

Rating:
Summary: Good Fun Versions NOT FOR PURISTS
Review: Baker Street Regulars will have epileptic seizures over these adaptations of Holmes. They are not exact reproductions of Conan Doyle, but they are very enjoyable if you are willing to suspend belief. Each story could most accurately be said to be "suggested" by the Doyle original, than a strict version. So if you know the stories well, be prepaired for a few surprises.

Matt Frewer at first seems to be giving a a very mannered version of Holmes, almost as if he is doing a comic impression, but on closer examination he is a Sherlock who is laughing at what he considers inferior humans. It is a very different Holmes and once you get used to it, a valid impression of a person who considers that he has a superior intellect to every other person.

Keneth Welsh is an exceellent Watson. He is the perfect counterpoint to Frewer's Holmes. Some of the looks he gives Holmes are priceless.

All the casting is excellent. Canada does a great job of substituting for Victorian England.

For anyone looking for some enjoyable mysteries and puzzels, these are good stories. It is a real bargin to get 4 hour and a half productions for this price.

For Holmes purists, don't rip them apart, just forget them and watch other versions.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo!
Review: Having enjoyed the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson for decades, I recently discovered the Frewer and Welsh versions and gave them a viewing. Frewer and Welsh make a marvelous pair as the Great Detective and the Good Doctor. These are excellent stories too. The game is afoot once more.

Rating:
Summary: DIFFERENT BUT ENJOYABLE
Review: Having grown used to Sherlock Holmes as either Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Britt (and in my opinion they are both EXCELLENT), at first I did not like Matt Frewer's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. But as I watched each additional film I grew to enjoy his portrayal. Although I have seen each of these four movies before, there was a different twist to each story and made it almost like a new Sherlock Holmes adventure.

If you love Sherlock Holmes mysteries and are looking for a different angle to some of the most well known stories of this mastermind of detectives, then I think you will like it too.

Rating:
Summary: So close, and yet so far!
Review: Here's an interesting Sherlock Holmes offering that is worth a looksee. I say this in all honesty, but with a warning attached; you may not be fully satisfied with the final results.

First, the three recognizable stories are truncated and condensed down a bit, but that's to be expected with made for TV efforts. The music is fair, and the Canadian productions are a bit lacking in body/weight. That having been said, the supporting roles are suitably handled by all concerned, and the balance of the production values are, almost without exception, absolutely first-class. It is worth noting that the lighting, sets, locations, and costuming in all four films are amazing, and make much more out of the films than the obviously limited budgets allowed for. The costuming is exceptional (especially in "Vampire"), appearing to be the authentic heavy wools and thick overcoats Victorian England was famous for. The Baker Street rooms are wonderfully realized (albeit a bit too spacious), and Baker Street itself has a realism seldom seen outside of the Granada series, with a more pleasant (if less accurate) color scheme.

Kenneth Welsh is a suitable Watson, with a few minor caveats. First, he appears a bit too old for Watson compared to the relatively youthful Frewer as Holmes. Again, perhaps I've been spoiled by Burke and Hardwicke, both Watsons being closer in age to Brett in the Granada series. Second, Walsh has a striking similarity to David Suchet, so much so that if he added a French (Belgian) accent, he could be an older version of Suchet's famous interpretation of Agatha Christie's Poirot character. A bit distracting for Poirot fans, but not enough to spoil Welsh's very good performance here as Watson.

However, without a doubt, Matt Frewer shamelessly displays what has to be one of the worst interpretations of Sherlock Holmes on record. So lightweight, so mired in parody, and so frustratingly smug, Frewer's Holmes is pretty darned annoying. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Jeremy Brett, Ian Richardson, or Christopher Plummer, but even so! Frewer was an unfortunate choice for the role of Holmes in these four productions. His English accent is atrocious, and he went for smug arrogance instead of intellectual superiority. While an actor is certainly allowed to have fun with a famous character like Holmes, you really get the sense Frewer's laughing at us with his unfunny attempts at injecting humor into the role. At the very least, it is clear that Frewer has not acquainted himself with any of Brett's work (let alone Doyle's). His interpretation of Holmes seems to be more of a parody of Rathbone's, if anything, and a pretty poor one to boot. All of this tends to diminish the wonderful production values and the efforts of the rest of the cast, including Mr. Welsh as Watson.

"Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Whitechapel Vampire" are the highpoints. "Sign of Four" is fair, while "A Royal Scandal" is a muddy reworking of "Scandal in Bohemia". "Whitechapel Vampire" is a reworking of "The Sussex Vampire" and almost completely original, which makes it one of the more interesting of the four despite it's flaws.

"Baskervilles" suffers the most from being condensed into 90 minutes, chopping out a large part of the last third of the story we are all familiar with, in order to give Frewer yet another chance to be annoying at the end. While the landscapes (Canadian?) are breathtaking, they are also a poor stand-in for the moors of England with the Grimpen Mire. The moors are a pleasant forested farmland in the film, but this does not eliminate the creepy atmosphere of the famous story. The Hound itself is not the huge monster it should be, either, but the production team appears to have honestly did what they could with what they had to work with. Looked like they even gave the dog contact lenses to make its eyes red, which is probably the first time I've ever seen that done with an animal "actor," but that may have just been computer enhancements. Best of all, Frewer's on-screen involvement is limited, as Watson is at the center of events in the classic story.

"Sign of Four" starts out with great promise, but quickly spirals downward about half-way in. This version mysteriously excises the famous boat race on the Thames in favor of a riverside loading dock shoot out. The end result is a story adaptation missing its most famous third act, and leaves the viewer wanting. They also tried to make Tonga into a Jet Li, which was pretty annoying.

"A Royal Scandal" is a muddy mish-mosh of "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "The Bruce Partington Plans". Mycroft acts as a government spymaster. This Mycroft (with little or nothing in common with the classic character in the Holmes canon), has an absurdly confrontational relationship with his brother Sherlock, who is attracted to the less-than-bewitching Irene Alder (now a master spy). Probably the most unfortunate of the four installments, this episode is the low ebb of the entire set.

By comparison, "The Whitechapel Vampire" is almost completely original, which makes it the high point of the collection. While loosely based on "The Sussex Vampire", the story is re-set in London, and at a monastery. The sets, cinematography and costumes really set this one apart, as the mystery is expanded from the original short story into the most memorable installment offered here.

While Frewer is awful, and the films lack serious weight, the DVD set is relatively inexpensive. So even if you dislike the Frewer Holmes, you'll probably still get your money's worth from the rest of it if you choose to purchase the set. Just don't expect the brilliance of Brett, et al, in this sad portrayal of Holmes.

Rating:
Summary: family fun for sure
Review: I bet Mr Frewer knew that kids would be watching so he gave them a very funny version of Holmes that they would love. It worked. My kids can't get enough of this guy. I've now introduced them to kid friendly versions of Doyle's works and they love reading them too.

Rating:
Summary: Frewer is thrilling as Holmes
Review: I have never been a Matt Frewer fan, but his interpretation of Holmes is extraordinary. How nice it is to see new life brought to the character of Sherlock Holmes! This is a Holmes unlike all the rest. You may or may not like his interpretation, but Frewer stands alone in his take on the character and gives us something truly unique. I expected a tiresome retread. I have viewed every Holmes film available many times and had low expectations, but Frewer's performance was like a special treat to my tired Sherlockian senses. This is a Holmes you may or may not like, but you will not soon forget him.

Rating:
Summary: comedic, but superb
Review: I have suffered through many less than entertaining Holmes efforts in my 63 years. There's been Doyle's shoddy later works, awful prints of Arthur Wontner's films, lumbering Jeremy Brett episodes that were too heavily padded, the dull deadly necklace, the recent muddled case of evil, and Reginald Owen's study in slumber. The Sherlock Holmes Collection, on the other hand, is a godsend. It may not be pure Doyle, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Have you tried reading the Three Gables lately? How about the Creeping Man?

Matt Frewer has his detractors, but things are never dull or dreary with him involved. He seems to be having fun. I did the same while watching him. He reminded me of the comedic tone of the better Rathbone and Bruce efforts, the humorous moments in Caine and Kingsley's Without A Clue, and the sense of fun of the Ronald Howard series. Kenneth Welsh is a splendid Watson. Welsh has become my favorite of all cinematic Watsons. His interpay with Frewer is delightful.

The relationship between Mycroft and Sherlock is most interesting. It's a tangled skein to be sure. It shows that Frewer's Holmes can be more that just humorous. The same is true of Holmes' interaction with the alluring Irene Adler. Frewer is wonderful in those scenes. Miss Adler knows just how to get under his skin. This is a fine collection. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but I found it to be an extremely lively and entertaining set.

Rating:
Summary: The 2nd Worst Holmes Effort I Have Ever Seen
Review: I knew little of this offering, but am such a Holmes freak I had to order it. Frewer is absolutely awful, and certainly responsible for making these four movies unbearable.

These films are only slightly better than Christopher Lee's German production of "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace".

Don't be tempted by the low price. This set is not worth the price of postage. Save your money for the MPI Rathbone series.

Rating:
Summary: a Holmes for the whole family
Review: I've tried Brett, Cushing, Lee, and Rathbone, but always there were members of my family who were less than captivated...until this DVD set. These interpretations may not be entirely by the book, but they are entertaining viewing for family gatherings after Church. Frewer's Holmes may not be entirely serious, but he will certainly entertain the small ones and that's commendable.