Cert 15
115 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, drug references, suicide
On Saturday evening, Mrs W and I found ourselves in a sold out screen 8 of Nottingham Cineworld with scores of Sherlock Holmes fans.
And we had never previously seen an episode.
In fact, we didn't even know that the TV series was set in modern times.
However, we had heard good things and, technically, this feature-length episode could have been counted as a movie because it had a BBFC rating and was being shown on a very big screen. So, it had to be ticked off.
We have both loved previous incarnations of the great detective and his trusty sidekick Watson. So, we had an open mind about the Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman partnership.
The irony was that this Sherlock Holmes Special was set in the 19th century so was exactly how we had already known Arthur Conan Doyle's characters.
And the Abominable Bride, beautifully written by Mark Gatiss (who also plays Mycroft) and Steven Moffat, is a quality Holmes story.
It surrounds the apparent reappearance of a bride who had been witnessed shooting herself in the head. Her ghost then went on to kill her husband.
As always, the case is fiendishly difficult to crack but Holmes' powers of deduction are staggering.
This is very much a flawed Holmes - drug addicted, lonely and haughty. He is carried off with great panache by Cumberbatch.
Meanwhile, Freeman is a sharp-tongued companion. The two make a sparky double act.
The fascinating attention to detail of the set designers was laid out in a peek behind the scenes, recorded especially for cinema-goers, by Moffat.
The care of the crew is obviously central to Sherlock Holmes' success and Mrs W and I could certainly see why the series has such a devoted following.
As a one-off we very much enjoyed it, although we were thrown when it travelled through time and greater background knowledge of the modern-day characters would have helped.
Star tweet
Director: Douglas McKinnon
#ShSpesh @arwelwjones Meanwhile in China... Sherlock takes on Star Wars...Easypeasy.... http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-sherlock-braves-851471 …
Reasons to avoid: Becomes a bit confused when it travels through time
Laughs: It is genuinely funny in parts. I laughed four times but others in the audience guffawed much more often.
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 8.5/10