Basil Rathbone plays Sherlock Holmes and from what I can gather the writer for this movie, David Stuart Davies truly believed that Rathbone embodied Sherlock Holmes perfectly and historian Alan Barnes says, “Rathbone was Sherlock Holmes.” Since this Sherlock Holmes seemingly perfectly embodies Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, he is sure to be a genius detective, unaffectionate, and wanting to solve crimes solely for himself. At one part during the movie Jerrold Hunter tells Sherlock that he does not want him to interfere and Sherlock Holmes replies with: “I interfere whenever and wherever I like, Mr. Hunter.” This line reiterates the fact the Holmes is a detective for his own benefit, and he has a need and obsession to solve crimes just like Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.

This is a younger version of Sherlock Holmes (played by Nicholas Rowe) while he was still in school. Noticeable differences are of course his age and in this movie it appears that he has a romantic relationship with a girl named Elizabeth. Of course, Conan Doyle’s Holmes does not purposely engage in any romantic relationship or show affection to others. While there are clear differences there are still the main similarities of what makes Sherlock Holmes so appealing. “A great detective relies on perception, intelligence, and imagination.” (Rowe, Young Sherlock Holmes). This quote does seem to be true to Sherlock Holmes’s character because he of courses uses his intelligence all the time. Perception is also a huge part of his character because he is always extremely aware and excellent at interpreting anything and anyone. And imagination definitely plays a role in how Holmes is able to think through a case and go through what steps he believes were taken to commit a crime.

In this adaptation Robert Downey Jr. plays Sherlock Holmes. This movie seems to focus more on action and adventure then building Holmes as a character. The trailer for this movie is constantly switching from one explosion or fight scene to the next. One thing that is of course noticeably different from Conan Doyle’s Holmes is that this Sherlock Holmes has a romantic relationship with Irene Adler. Sherlock Holmes being in a romantic relationship seems to be one of the most obvious changes to Holmes’s character. And if he is in a romantic relationship, then one could infer that Holmes is more capable of being affectionate toward other people. This movie really tried to appeal to twenty-first century audiences by giving Sherlock Holmes modern technology and by having many fights, chases and explosions. "The twenty-first-century Sherlock Holmes is thus fast-paced and high-energy, not remotely the armchair detective." (Polasek)

In this BBC Sherlock Holmes adaptation Benedict Cumberbatch plays Sherlock Holmes. There are the obvious similarities between Doyle’s and BBC’s version of Sherlock such as, Holmes is still a genius detective, and he is not very affectionate or sympathetic toward people. And as stated in the other tab of this website Sherlock Holmes is not a hero, he is a morally gray protagonist. “Don’t make people into heroes, John. Heroes don’t exist and if they did, I wouldn’t be one of them.” (Cumberbatch, Sherlock) Holmes simply says that he is not a hero, and this can tie into how Holmes solves cases for himself because he has an obsession and need to constantly be doing something thrilling and thought provoking. BBC took Holmes’s inability to feel sympathy toward people a step further and classified him as a sociopath. “I’m not a psychopath Anderson. I’m a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research.” (Cumberbatch, Sherlock) This is of course a version of Holmes that is a bit more extreme than Doyle’s Holmes however it still displays his disconnect to people and inability to feel or express emotions.

Sherlock Holmes is played by Jonny Lee Miller and this adaptations is set in Manhattan, instead of England. This version of Holmes pushes the drug addict story line a lot more than in Conan Doyle’s stories. At the beginning of this series Holmes has just been released from rehab and Dr. Watson who is played by Lucy Liu is hired by Holmes’s father to be his sober companion. This brings about a difference in the dynamic between Holmes and Watson; Holmes does seem to be higher above Watson in intelligence however, Watson seems to help Holmes become more vulnerable and emotional. And it also seems like Holmes has a parent that cares about him to make sure he stays on track and does not go back to cocaine. This Holmes is also not a sympathetic person towards others, like Doyle’s Holmes, however, he seems to come off as a bit more disconnected and awkward around people than Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in Holmes and Watson. This Sherlock Holmes adaptation is a comedic take on Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock. This version of the Sherlock Holmes and Watson is extremely over the top and to be frank very idiotic, and he is still supposed to be the greatest detective ever. In one part of the movie Sherlock and Watson are in a bad neighborhood and where “disguises”. Sherlock puts on a ridiculous looking mustache and Watson thinks Sherlock genuinely looks unrecognizable. In this movie James Moriarty is the main villain, and he is Holmes’s enemy that people typically remember that most because he is the one who kills Sherlock Holmes.

In this adaptation Sherlock Holmes (played by Henry Cavill) is not the main character. Sherlock has a younger sister named Enola and she is the one going on an adventure and gets tangled up with the wrong people. She has to try to figure out where her mother has gone and also try to help save her friend's life. In Doyle’s stories of Sherlock Holmes, he never had a younger sister, only an older brother named Mycroft, who is in this movie. Sherlock Holmes is still a very smart detective, however he has a soft side in this movie. When Sherlock and Mycroft meet with Enola for the first time in years they are both stand-offish toward her. Sherlock slowly but surely begins to care for Enola more because he recognizes how she is very similar to him. Sherlock supports Enola and admires how independent she is. “The choice is always yours. Whatever society may claim, it can’t control you.” (Cavill, Enola Holmes) Sherlock tells Enola that she should be free to live her life and that she should not let other people control her. In the film Sherlock sees how free-spirited Enola is and that she cannot or should not be forced to be a certain way just because of societal expectations. This Sherlock differs from Conan Doyle's Sherlock because he is more sympathetic and understanding.