Red alert to Sherlockians. You have likely been suffering from withdrawals after the cliffhanger finale to the BBC series "Sherlock," which left us on a veritable desert island without murder mysteries or the comforting presence of Martin Freeman as John Watson and — worst of all — no Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock himself. But a quick fix is on the way. "The Abominable Bride," a New Year's Day TV special that aired on the BBC last month, will hit cinemas across Japan tomorrow. Let us simply be thankful for the fact that we're getting to see this so soon (because you know, desert island) and on a big screen that enables everyone to collectively bask in the glorious snobbishness of the "Sherlock" series.
If you've been keeping up with the series, you'll know it takes place in the present day. Our hero dresses like he just walked off a magazine photo shoot and Watson is a bit of a dork. The contemporary setting, however, doesn't mean the show is a disrespectful spoof — quite the contrary. If anything, the Hollywood "Sherlock Holmes" franchise with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law is guilty of that accusation, despite its huge budget, Victorian set-up and resplendent costumes.
"The Abominable Bride" — which seems to feel entitled to do whatever it wants — takes place in 1890s London (at least, most of the time). And if we get down to brass tacks, real Londoners do a much better job of recreating the darkness, swirling fog and chilly creepiness of Victorian London.
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