Made with love, affection, intelligence and care. Oh and plenty of money and talent - it looks wonderful. Acting very strong. The big budget is up there on screen - big set for Baker Street and the submarine and places like that.
But it is long at two hours even in its cut down state - it is episodic.
The big flaw is it doesn't pick a lane. Holmes is smart but also outsmarted by a German spy and also Mycroft. This is unsatisfactory. Good on Wilder for trying to subvert the hero, but maybe not on such a big scale. (And if songs had been added... urgh.) The first chapter, a particularly pointless one where a ballerina wants Holmes to impregnate her, hints Holmes is gay for Watson. Now either of these concepts would've made a fine film - Holmes as a dad, Holmes as gay - but Wilder ignores the first and hedges on the latter. Having hinted at Holmes being gay Wilder then has him in the next section deal with a woman who he's supposed to fall in love with.
Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely are fine in the leads as is Genevieve Page in the female lead but the film would've been more fun with stars (Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellars were originally considered). Christopher Lee for instance livens up his part through star power as well as acting ability.
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