Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr each gave admirable performances in their respective screen adaptations, but Cumberbatch's was better in certain regards. There have been many movies and TV series centering on the famous detective and his doctor sidekick, but Cumberbatch and Downey Jr have taken the cake when it comes to recent favorites. Since the movies and the BBC were being made and released around the same time, they are often compared. Though they each stand up independently, they can't be considered consistent equals.
The first of Downey Jr's movies was released in 2009, and the BBC
premiered shortly after in 2010. In all, these are two drastically different adaptations of —with the former bringing the character a more charismatic quality while the latter introduced a modern twist. Still, they were both embraced as quick cult classics, and both Downey Jr and Cumberbatch made Sherlock Holmes' character desirable and admirable as well as fascinating. It's hard to say which is the better version, but when stacked up, there are specific areas where Cumberbatch comes out on top.
A significant difference between Downey Jr and Cumberbatch's Sherlocks is their physical capabilities. In is often seen in physical fights with various enemies, ultimately making him more of an action star. This was an interesting twist for the character, especially with the play-by-play moments explaining how Sherlock used his deductive reasoning to beat his opponents. However, though Sherlock Holmes was described as an expert boxer and swordsman in the books, he rarely used these skills on villains, so Cumberbatch's version is more accurate to canon in this regard.
There have been so many screen adaptations of that it's difficult for a new one to stand out. The BBC managed this by shifting the Victorian setting of Doyle's books to a modern one. This meant that each famous mystery that the literary hero faced could be changed to include modern technology and pop culture. Overall, this made Cumberbatch's Sherlock seem even more real and relatable. It was an old character seen in a whole new light.
The . Mary Watson was never secretly a spy, the Holmes brothers never had a problematic sister, and John Watson's character arc was never quite so devastating. Still, when it comes down to Sherlock's physical description, Cumberbatch best fits the bill. While Downey Jr is a little shorter than average, Doyle described Sherlock as tall with long limbs and slender fingers. This is essentially a perfect description of Cumberbatch.
Irene Adler is traditionally seen as a romantic interest for Sherlock, but this was never the case in the original books. Instead, "" was only ever the single adversary that managed to escape Sherlock, therefore earning his respect. Though both Downey Jr and Cumberbatch's Sherlocks shared something of a romantic connection with their respective Irenes, RDJ's was the only one to share overt feelings. Like the canon version of Sherlock Holmes, included a character that was nearly entirely oblivious to physical attraction and romance (though he certainly had a little more interest in Irene Adler).
There was a lot about the BBC that made it a success, but the defining factor for the series was the chemistry between Cumberbatch's Sherlock and Martin Freeman's John Watson. In adaptation after adaptation, this crime-solving duo has been at the center. However, something about the connection between these two actors struck a unique chord. Like never before, their performances made it clear —and vice versa. Where Jude Law's Watson seemed only to tolerate RDJ's Sherlock, Freeman's clearly couldn't live without Cumberbatch's.
Sherlock Holme's quirks make him a fun character to dive into, and the BBC managed this perfectly. This is thanks, in part, to the longer format of a TV series. Where Downey Jr's character only had two films to dive into the nuances of Sherlock's mind, Cumberbatch had 13 episodes at 90 minutes each. This means that, like the books, there was a lot more time to build a complex—and therefore stronger—character.
Despite Sherlock Holmes' antisocial behavior, there is something likable about his character. This is also true in the books, though the detective was often oblivious and uninterested in the opinions of others. Cumberbatch's Sherlock was much the same. Handsome and desirable, he charmed those around him entirely against his own will. Downey Jr's character is a different story. The actor is known to be charming, and it seems to be something he can't switch off.
His character in has been criticized for being a Victorian version of Tony Stark from rather than an authentic Sherlock.
Since Downey Jr is so effortlessly charismatic in all his roles, the moments in in which he was supposed to be socially inept were difficult to believe. Of course, the character was still admired, just as in the books, but the scenes in which he was supposed to offend those around him didn't feel as organic.
This wasn't the case for the BBC . It could be because there were several more hours of content in the TV series, but Cumberbatch's Sherlock was so clearly abrasive and socially clueless from beginning to end.
, and in nearly every adaptation of , the character drives the detective to the edge by always staying one step ahead of the game. In the movies, Downey Jr becomes determined to take down Moriarty because of Irene Adler's death—something that never happened in the BBC
or Doyle's books. While this was a strong motivator, the rivalry between Cumberbatch's character and Andrew Scott felt far more organic. It was clear that Sherlock wanted to protect those he cared about from the villain, making for a palpable tension in Cumberbatch's .
