SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

TheLittleSongbird Am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and get a lot of enjoyment out of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. Also love Basil Rathbone's and especially Jeremy Brett's interpretations to death. So would naturally see any Sherlock Holmes adaptation that comes my way, regardless of its reception.The third film in the generally negatively received (though not unwatchable) four films starring Matt Frewer, 'The Royal Scandal' fares better than 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and 'The Sign of Four'. It at least doesn't have the dubious distinction of butchering classic stories, 'The Sign of Four' was particularly disappointing. There are far better Sherlock Holmes adaptations though, even the worst Jeremy Brett adaptations are superior than any of Frewer's films. Not terrible, but should have been much better.Again, Kenneth Welsh is the best thing about 'The Royal Scandal' and the only good actor in the film. He is an excellent Watson and more the faithful interpretation of a loyal and intelligent Watson and not the bumbling buffoon for comic relief purposes. Found some of the locations suitably atmospheric, if perhaps not authentic, and the adaptation shot competently enough.However, my negative feelings on Frewer's Holmes remains unchanged. He is far too manic and eccentric, with too much of an over-emphasis on hammy humour in places, and his rapport with Watson too abrasive and borderline bullying. The supporting cast range from bland (Irene Adler) to pantomimic (the villains, which are basically barely developed caricatures).Moreover, 'The Royal Scandal' has a lack of tension and suspense and is pretty dull. It further suffers from being somewhat over-stuffed, too many various and different ideas cobbled together and it just feels muddled and disjointed. The costumes are not particularly appealing to look at and some of the dialogue, apart from some thought-provoking moments, is ham-fisted. Having too much emphasis on Holmes taking on the case on a more personal level didn't feel right either.Overall, lacklustre while not being unwatchable. 4/10 Bethany Cox

1bilbo It is not awful - just not for the purist.I suspect that Johnny Lee Miller adapted his Sherlock after watching this film.Watson is excellent as are the villains.I have a complete collection of the original Strand magazines and am well aware of how many versions of Holmes do vary as do many of the plot lines. However, I feel that a little artistic licence can be allowed otherwise it would be like watching the Shakespearian society reciting Othello as against watching Orson Well's superb adaption.One thing was missing though - Holmes' cocaine addiction, remembering that these drugs could be freely purchased in that era.Overall worth a watch.

jarotra The awful applies to Sherlock Holmes himself - Matt Frewer criminally miscast. He plays annoying with great facility, but even with his quirks Sherlock Holmes is usually at least likable. Three stars given only for the very nice production, and the contrast of Kenneth Welsh as Watson, showing what a serviceable actor can do. Otherwise a very amateurish job of acting by all concerned, having all the earmarks of a vanity project done by, oh, say an ambitious billionaire wanting to play Sherlock, or for Star Trek TNG fans, a self indulgent crew member acting out his fantasies on the holodeck.Very disappointing, unwatchable except for the fact that I could not find my remote control, and a somewhat interesting plot that kept me from looking harder for the remote control. Still, I did not watch to the end, so take that into consideration.

klingon-attack Now, I just watched this movie and while it is still one of the better SH movies I have watched, I still give it only 9 out of 10 because (SPOILERS! SPOILERS!) firstly Mycroft Holmes was so terribly slim and good-looking (in contrary to the canon) and secondly Cadogan West was actually the criminal and thirdly they even dared to combine the SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA and BRUCE-PARTINGTON!! OK OK, I won't be too harsh. It's a great movie and showed SH with a genuinely human side. Without so much as saying it he actually fell in love with Irene Adler who was a criminal (which is also not according to the canon, I might add), but who would Sherlock Holmes be more likely to fall in love with anyway? Watson was very cool IMHO. He was miles and miles and miles away from Bruce's Watson and that's saying a lot (I never liked Bruce as Watson but Rathbone is the KING)! One of the smaller things that struck me was the incredibly fake looking "Baker Street" sign towards the end of the film.All in all it's a very cool SH movie (apart from Mycroft!). I simply loved Matt Frewer this time.