The Return of Sherlock Holmes (TV Series) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988) User Reviews

The Best Sherlock in a Boring Baskervilles

[revchristodd-138-985726 · 5/10 · 21 June 2023]

I recently rewatched the whole series in which Jeremy Brett played Sherlock Holmes. I was struck again by how right he was for the role and how electric his performance was. Yet I remember not being impressed by this version of the Hound of the Baskervilles. Upon rewatching it I find my memory was accurate. There have been several film versions of this story, from classic (Rathbone) to exciting (Cushing) to boring (Baker) to bad (Granger). This one, starring the quintessential Holmes, is disappointing. Brett's Sherlock is subdued, perhaps because of his increasingly bad health. And since this is a story in which Holmes is missing for a great deal of the narrative, it makes the whole thing feel muted. While Edward Hardwiche is a good Watson, he cannot carry the bulk of this story. The pacing is glacial, the suspense is non-existent, and the whole thing seems airless. A missed opportunity to put the best Sherlock in a top notch adaptation of one of the most famous mysteries.