- Release year: 2026–
- Directors: Anders Engström, Guy Ritchie, Tricia Brock, and Dennie Gordon.
- Producer: Max Keene.
- Screenplay by: Peter Harness, Matthew Parkhill, Melissa Bubnic, and Steve Thompson.
- Cinematography by: Mark Patten and Oliver Loncraine.
- Music by: Christopher Benstead.
Synopsis: a young Sherlock Holmes will have to solve a murder in order to clear his name, but the investigation takes him to a much larger conspiracy.
Shotgun Commentary: a rollercoaster of quality.
Review
Young Sherlock is a mystery series that imagines the early years of Sherlock’s adulthood. This series, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is the latest work of renowned director Guy Ritchie. The filmmaker already directed two movies with his vision of the famous Baker Street detective in 2010 and 2011. Now, over a decade later, he presents yet another possibility. Not the seasoned eccentric we meet in the films thanks to RDJ. A young man trying to find his footing in the world, portrayed by Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
The story meets Sherlock in jail. A location he is also seen frequenting in the movies, only this time it is his brother Mycroft (Max Irons) who bails him out. He does so only to put him to work at the University of Oxford, back then still considered a “young university”. During his time as a porter, Sherlock meets his best friend for the remainder of the season: James Moriarty (Dónal Finn). Yes, THAT Moriarty.
Nemesis?
Sadly, this depiction has nothing to do with Young Sherlock Holmes (1985). So, if Watson happens to be your favourite character in this universe, skip this show entirely. Instead of the loyal sidekick, you will get a very young Moriarty who is anything but the reassuring sidekick we are used to getting from Watson. Finn delivers a fascinating performance as Sherlock’s future nemesis.
Much like in the film Pan (2015), where Captain Hook (Garret Hedlund) is a lovable man who helps Peter Pan, you won’t be able to help but be constantly on the lookout for a potential betrayal. This constant source of stress will find itself unfulfilled. Same as in Pan, the story goes by without any such transformation into villainy. Sure, Moriarty is sketchy, more so with each episode, but he shows only the intention of future mayhem. That, paired with Finn’s constant dead-eyed expression, is enough to make your blood run cold even as Moriarty just struts about in a carefree fashion.
The good guys
As for the young man himself, Sherlock, he is the equivalent of an undercooked baked potato. Sure, it is still good enough to consume, but there is that disappointing lack of a final touch to achieve perfection.
Still, Fiennes does a pretty decent job bringing to life such a remarkable character. As for his brother Mycroft, it comes as no surprise that it is Max Irons who has been chosen to portray him. At least, not to anyone who has watched 2017’s The Crooked House, in which he plays a detective remarkably similar to this particular depiction of the elder Holmes brother. Familiar yet reasonable, his performance fits perfectly along all others in this adventure.
The reason
Nevertheless, the show would be nothing—and I mean absolutely NOTHING—without the presence of Cordelia Holmes (Natascha McElhone). She is the one and only reason why you will not give up on the season even as the promised murder investigation is destroyed in favour of a way more bland spy game.
Cordelia is, by far, the most charming character of the show. Tortured and dismissed yet forgiving and bright, she is put through a completely needless and cruel ordeal by the men around her, who are unsurprisingly incapable of taking her seriously like they should. As a result, she ends up having the most enthralling storyline of the show and, quite honestly, the only story worth staying for.
All in all, Young Sherlock is a passable show that could have been miles better. It brings forth some interesting lore, but there are zero surprises. Not a single twist is actually shocking, and even the actual murder investigations are way too short and unfulfilling, as there is a longer—and far more tedious—storyline connecting the whole season. The series is the constant promise of an expectation that never quite gets fulfilled, an aesthetically pretty but ultimately shallow story that doesn’t quite measure up to Sherlock’s standards.
Advice to take from this movie:
- It is important to know how to throw a punch. Just in case.
- Do not dismiss the words of an intelligent person just because they happen to be in an asylum.
- Never understimate the sheer extremes to which British people can extend pleasantries.
What’s your take? Have you watched Young Sherlock? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀