Am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and get a lot of enjoyment out of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is one of the, perhaps even THE, most famous Sherlock Holmes stories and is the most adapted. For good reason, it is such a thrilling and scary story and contains a tantalising mystery.
The first of the four Hallmark films starring Matt Frewer doesn't do this wonderful story justice. To me, it's the second worst adaptation with only Peter Cook's being worse and nowhere near in the same league as those of Jeremy Brett, Basil Rathbone and Peter Cushing. All wonderful, Brett's is my personal favourite with Rathone's a close second (coincidentally they're also my two favourite Holmes), and with vastly superior interpretations of Holmes. Not a complete mess, with a few things stopping it from being a complete dog, but should have been much better.
Kenneth Welsh is the best thing about 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and the only good actor in the film. He is an excellent Watson and more the faithful interpretation of a loyal and intelligent Watson and not the bumbling buffoon for comic relief purposes.
Also found some of the locations suitably atmospheric, if perhaps not authentic, and the adaptation shot competently enough. The music score is eerie. Credit is due for that the culprit is not revealed too early, a potential trap adapting 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and has been fallen into a couple of times (i.e. Richard Roxburgh's version).
However, the rest of the cast do not fare well. Matt Frewer doesn't work as Holmes, far too manic and eccentric and his rapport with Watson too abrasive and borderline bullying. Jason London is also miscast, very stiff and too modern. Also found Robin Wilcock's Stapleton, though he does try, too energised and not sinister enough. The rest of the cast while not terrible don't make much impression.
For such a good story, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is poorly adapted here. It's dull thanks to the lack of terror, tension or suspense and the pedestrian direction, and due to the significant abridgement that underuses Holmes drastically, the changes and omissions really affecting the coherence and intrigue, the telling also feels jumpy and rushed. The costumes are cheap and the hound is far from terrifying, the only terrifying thing about it is how laughable and so 1950s or earlier it looks.
Overall, not a complete dog but almost is. Very disappointing. 4/10 Bethany Cox
The first of the four Hallmark films starring Matt Frewer doesn't do this wonderful story justice. To me, it's the second worst adaptation with only Peter Cook's being worse and nowhere near in the same league as those of Jeremy Brett, Basil Rathbone and Peter Cushing. All wonderful, Brett's is my personal favourite with Rathone's a close second (coincidentally they're also my two favourite Holmes), and with vastly superior interpretations of Holmes. Not a complete mess, with a few things stopping it from being a complete dog, but should have been much better.
Kenneth Welsh is the best thing about 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and the only good actor in the film. He is an excellent Watson and more the faithful interpretation of a loyal and intelligent Watson and not the bumbling buffoon for comic relief purposes.
Also found some of the locations suitably atmospheric, if perhaps not authentic, and the adaptation shot competently enough. The music score is eerie. Credit is due for that the culprit is not revealed too early, a potential trap adapting 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and has been fallen into a couple of times (i.e. Richard Roxburgh's version).
However, the rest of the cast do not fare well. Matt Frewer doesn't work as Holmes, far too manic and eccentric and his rapport with Watson too abrasive and borderline bullying. Jason London is also miscast, very stiff and too modern. Also found Robin Wilcock's Stapleton, though he does try, too energised and not sinister enough. The rest of the cast while not terrible don't make much impression.
For such a good story, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is poorly adapted here. It's dull thanks to the lack of terror, tension or suspense and the pedestrian direction, and due to the significant abridgement that underuses Holmes drastically, the changes and omissions really affecting the coherence and intrigue, the telling also feels jumpy and rushed. The costumes are cheap and the hound is far from terrifying, the only terrifying thing about it is how laughable and so 1950s or earlier it looks.
Overall, not a complete dog but almost is. Very disappointing. 4/10 Bethany Cox