Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's popular Victorian-era super sleuth gets a reboot in the 21st Century. Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) is the go to detective consultant for Detective Inspector Lesrade (Rupert Graves) of the London police department. Ex-soldier/doctor John Watson (Martin Freeman) joins Holmes as his trusty sidekick in order to solve the most bizarre cases London has ever seen.

Thanks to the BBC this fabulous show has made its way across the pond via PBS and now Blu-ray. Although the 2-disc set has only three 90 minute episodes, each is so well-crafted that I'll gladly take quality over quantity. The two leads breathe new life into the characters and from the first moment they share the screen you know it’s a match made in heaven.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080i encodes
• Excellent shadow detail
• Crisp resolution
• Waxy flesh tones

Audio Highlights

• Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
• Decent dynamics
• Intelligible dialog
• Enveloping surround track
• Great score

Bonus Materials

• Audio commentaries on episode 1 and 3
• Making-of documentary
• Unaired pilot of "A Study in Pink" (shorter version of episode 1)

Warner released a theatrical version of Sherlock Holmes on Blu-ray earlier this year and while it was entertaining it doesn't measure up to this BBC series. The presentations won't set any benchmarks but that's OK given how much I enjoyed the three episodes. Highly recommended.

Release Date: November 9, 2010
Studio: Warner / BBC

Series: 9/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics