Sherlock-The Abominable Bride (Blu-ray) (2013)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Main Menu Audio & Animation Featurette-Behind The Scenes-3 Interviews-Cast & Crew
Rating
Year Of Production	2013
Running Time	93:05 (Case: 86)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Douglas Mackinnon
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Benedict Cumberbatch Martin Freeman Mark Gatiss
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	$19.95	Music	Michael Price David Arnold

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 English Dolby Digital 5.1 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     The quality of television production has been going through the roof lately with many great shows on offer such as House of Cards, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The Americans and this wonderful show, Sherlock. Unlike the other shows I have mentioned here, Sherlock continues to tease its audience with small seasons and in this case no season at all just a one off special. In fact since the show started in 2010 there have only been 10 proper episodes including this special. This reflects the amount of thought and effort which goes into each and every episode. The next full season is planned for 2017, meaning this special will have to keep the audience happy until then. I previously reviewed the third season of this show here.

     This special goes in a different direction than the previous episodes, being set in the 1880s, consistent with the original Sherlock Holmes stories. It also restarts the relationship between Watson and Sherlock, with Watson returning from the Afghan wars and meeting up with Sherlock looking to share lodgings. Their relationship forms and they are asked to investigate the case of The Abominable Bride, a woman who seemingly comes back from the dead to kill her husband. Beyond that brief synopsis it is hard to explain much more about the plot without giving away the excellent twist which comes later in the show. Maybe some would say I should have expected it from the beginning but it wasn't until some hints during the show that I worked it out.

     The acting is superlative again from Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Mark Gatiss especially. Una Stubbs is certainly a lot of fun in this episode too. The writing is excellent with much to enjoy both in the Abominable Bride mystery itself and the twist. There is lots of humour in the dialogue combined with intrigue and excitement.

     A marvellous addition to the series.

Video

     The video looks marvellous with deep blacks and nice detail. There is good use of colour and shadow detail is excellent. It is presented in 1.85:1, the original aspect ratio at 1080p.

     There are subtitles available in English for the Hearing Impaired which are very clear and slightly larger than normal.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     This local Blu-ray release includes what at first glance might appear to be a bit over the top, a Dolby Atmos soundtrack (Dolby TrueHD 7.1). This delivers a wonderful aural experience with lots of atmosphere as the label implies. Although this show is not an action extravaganza, this soundtrack certainly brings a lot of nuance to the proceedings with many small sounds adding significantly to the show. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. There is a Dolby Digital 5.1 option also available, which is the default if you do not change settings, so beware. There is also an Audio Descriptive track available in Dolby Digital 2.0. Both discs also feature Audio Navigation for the vision impaired.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     The extras are good without setting the world on fire. Strangely they are on a second disc although I find it hard to believe that a 90 minute show and these extras could not have fitted on one dual layer BD. Extras are generally 1080i with DTS HD-MA sound in 2.0

Menu

     The menu included pictures from the show and music.

Mark Gatiss - A Study in Sherlock (29:30)

     Mark Gatiss stars in the show but is also the writer and joint creator of this series. He hosts this extended featurette about why the show has been successful. A quality extra it covers the original novels, the actors, writing, how the characters have changed, Moriarty and includes interviews and behind the scenes segments. Well worth watching.

Creating the Look (2:20, 2:00, 3:13, 2:24, 5:17, 4:45, 4:22, 4:44)

     8 segments focused on various visual effects and production design elements. Stunt elements of various scenes such as the waterfall sequence, costumes, challenges of the period, etc. Not bad.

Mark Gatiss Production Diary (4:50)

     Footage shot by Gatiss during one long day of shooting, chatting to people on set, pretty poor quality.

Writers Interview (3:38)

Sherlockology Q&A (19:10)

    Other editions of this Blu-ray are the same. Draw.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is excellent.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall