Guy Ritchie’s new Sherlock thriller is out today on Amazon Prime – here’s our verdict

Guy Ritchie’s highly-anticipated series, Young Sherlock, is good fun but strays a touch too far from the familiar to completely immerse yourself.

The acclaimed British filmmaker is no stranger to Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved literary detective as the mind behind the Robert Downey Jr adaptation, which landed on the big screen with a gritty, action-packed bang – quintessential of Ritchie’s style.

Fifteen years later, he’s delving back into the world, this time with a period-accurate coming-of-age story that follows a trouble-making Sherlock who is not yet the stoic detective donning a deerstalker hat that we know and love.

As a character, the Study in Scarlet sleuth has been the subject of wonder, intrigue and countless interpretations for almost 150 years.

In the 21st century alone, we’ve seen the BBC’s marmite modern-day take and Netflix’s spotlight on made-up sister Enola (portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown).

Now, The Gentlemen showrunner (alongside creator Matthew Parkhill) is offering his boldest take yet on the age-old tale – to mixed success.

In the first episode, we’re introduced to a familiar gaggle of characters with Hero Fiennes Tiffin as the eponymous hero like we’ve never seen him before. 

Meanwhile, Max Irons plays his by-the-book brother, Mycroft Holmes (perhaps the most true-to-novel characterisation in this show), and, conversely, Dónal Finn as James Moriarty. 

A far cry from his shadowy, villainous presence in Holmes’ history, however, in Young Sherlock, he quickly becomes a close friend and confidant.

Now, with a story so oft-adapted, I’m not averse to the idea of playing around with the source material, but when does it stop being an adaptation and become its own beast, simply wearing the faces of iconic literary characters?

In Young Sherlock, we meet a lost young man, bursting with energy, who is sent to Oxford to scrimp and scrape his way to the top. Soon, however, with the arrival of Princess Gulan Shou’an (Zine Tseng), he is thrust into the middle of a string of murders that expose a wider conspiracy.

So, he reluctantly uses his natural-born detective talents to get to the bottom of it with the help of his whipsmart new friend Moriarty.

The case soon turns personal as we meet Sherlock’s wider family, including his mother Cordelia (Natasha McElhone), who is in a mental asylum and his absent father, Silas Holmes (played by his uncle Joseph Fiennes).

And, following in the footsteps of all recent adaptations, we also discover that the Holmes brothers had a sister who died when they were young – a trauma that haunts Sherlock to this day.

I won’t lie when I found myself grimacing at how far this prequel had wandered off the beaten track.

Part of the allure of the original work is in the joy of marvelling at Sherlock’s genius, his delightful dynamic with his right-hand man, John Watson, and his diligent unravelling of case after case.

(Lest we forget, it is when BBC’s Sherlock started making the plot personal that it took a nosedive.)

To delve so deeply into his home life almost feels as though it betrays the very point of the whole series, which was not about Holmes but what his mind could do. 

Still, there’s one issue that remained a sticking point throughout: the problem of Moriarty.

To reimagine him as an old friend of Sherlock’s is a huge gamble.

The fact that there is a strange man who can go toe-to-toe with someone as exceptional as Sherlock is such a compelling dynamic, and it’s one torn to shreds by the show.

This is no dig on Hero and Donal’s acting, who sell this surprise friendship as well as they can and build an endearing chemistry onscreen (that, no doubt, will have fans rooting for a romance before long).

However, the show struggled to make sure Moriarty was distinctly different from Watson, while not outshining the titular detective with his own formidable talents.

It made for a strange balance where, oftentimes, you could have simply substituted him for Watson. Then, when he showed his smarts, he never quite eclipsed Sherlock, so it’s difficult to imagine how he could one day be his greatest foe.

Ultimately, rewriting their history didn’t quite work for me.

Still, if the show does return for another season, there is a chance they could develop the relationship in a convincing enough way to win me over.

For those who enjoy the style of Guy Ritchie’s action and are willing to get stuck into a twisty mystery without any qualms, there’s plenty in there to keep you hooked.

From shock reveals to clever plotting, Young Sherlock proves itself to have boatloads of potential, but it won’t convince everyone just yet.

Young Sherlock arrives on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday, March 4.

A version of this article was first published on March 2.

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