
(Photo by Warner Bros. Thumbnail: Netflix, BBC.)
The Best Sherlock Holmes Movies and TV Shows By Release Order
100 years after 1922’s Sherlock Holmes, the watershed movie that proved Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character a Hollywood leading man, the detective remains on the case! He’s been adapted to movies and TV countless times, and we’ve organized all of his works which got a Tomatometer score in chronological order. That includes films from Basil Rathbone’s defining decades-long run accessorized with the deerstalker hat, Robert Downey Jr.’s blockbuster take, and Sherlock‘s modern spin with Benedict Cumberbatch. To complete the picture, Holmes-adjacent works are included, including Gene Wilder’s The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective, and Netflix’s Enola Holmes, featuring Sherlock’s teenage sister as played by Millie Bobby Brown. Now let’s chase the thread through this study in scarlet tomatoes, as we reveal the best (and worst) Sherlock Holmes movies and series. —Alex Vo
78%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (John Barrymore) is a master at solving the most impenetrable mysteries, but he has his work cut out for him on his latest... View Full Synopsis
Starring: John Barrymore, Roland Young, Carol Dempster, Gustave von Seyffertitz
Directed By: Albert Parker
93%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: While investigating a secretive group of aristocrats, Sherlock Holmes (Reginald Owen) and Dr. Watson (Warburton Gamble) must contend with a number of murders related to... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Reginald Owen, Warburton Gamble, Anna May Wong, June Clyde
Directed By: Edwin L. Marin
91%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is intrigued by a centuries-old legend in which every generation of the wealthy Baskerville family is eventually killed by a monstrous... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Richard Greene, Wendy Barrie
Directed By: Sidney Lanfield
80%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) square off against their archenemy, Professor Moriarty (George Zucco), who has designs on the Tower of... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Ida Lupino, Alan Marshal
Directed By: Alfred L. Werker
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When a number of attractive women are found dead and with fingers missing, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) investigate. Though evidence... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Henry Daniell
Directed By: Roy William Neill
75%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In London, Lady Margaret Carstairs and her son, Roland, engage renowned detective Sherlock Holmes to accompany them back home to Scotland as protection for their... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Dennis Hoey
Directed By: Roy William Neill
83%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Holmes and Watson hunt for three music boxes containing directions to the whereabouts of six valuable engraving plates stolen from the Bank of England. They... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Patricia Morison, Edmund Breon
Directed By: Roy William Neill
95%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Doctor Watson (Andre Morell) meet with a certain Dr. Mortimer (Francis De Wolff), who tells them of the legend of... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Christopher Lee, Marla Landi
Directed By: Terence Fisher
87%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A bored Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) meets Madame Petrova (Tamara Toumanova), a famed ballerina, who tries to seduce him, hoping that their child will have... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Robert Stephens, Colin Blakely, Geneviève Page, Irene Handl
Directed By: Billy Wilder
60%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sigerson Holmes (Gene Wilder) has something to prove as the lesser-known brother of famed detective Sherlock Holmes. When Sherlock and his assistant, Dr. Watson, are... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Dom DeLuise
Directed By: Gene Wilder
78%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this bizarre twist on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic detective tales, Sherlock Holmes (Nicol Williamson) finds himself experiencing vivid hallucinations resulting from his cocaine... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Nicol Williamson, Alan Arkin, Robert Duvall, Vanessa Redgrave
Directed By: Herbert Ross
81%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After learning of mass murderer Jack the Ripper's gruesome reign of terror, private detective Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) decides to investigate. The police are no... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, Donald Sutherland, David Hemmings
Directed By: Bob Clark
0%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cook) and Dr. Watson (Dudley Moore) try to break a noble family's killer-dog curse.
Starring: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Denholm Elliott, Joan Greenwood
Directed By: Paul Morrissey
71%
Critics Consensus: Young Sherlock Holmes is a charming, if unnecessarily flashy, take on the master sleuth.
Synopsis: A teenage Sherlock Holmes (Nicholas Rowe) meets and befriends his future sidekick, the bemused and bespectacled John Watson (Alan Cox). During their first semester of... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward, Anthony Higgins
Directed By: Barry Levinson
79%
Critics Consensus: The Great Mouse Detective may not rank with Disney's classics, but it's an amiable, entertaining picture with some stylishly dark visuals.
Synopsis: Rodent supersleuth Basil and his bumbling partner must thwart evil Ratigan's plot to depose the Mouse Queen.
Starring: Vincent Price, Barrie Ingham, Val Bettin, Susanne Pollatschek
Directed By: John Musker, Ron Clements, David Michener, Burny Mattinson
62%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Brilliant sleuth Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) solves a royal case with a third-rate actor paid to be Sherlock Holmes (Michael Caine).
Starring: Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, Jeffrey Jones, Lysette Anthony
Directed By: Thom Eberhardt
70%
Critics Consensus: Guy Ritchie's directorial style might not be quite the best fit for an update on the legendary detective, but Sherlock Holmes benefits from the elementary appeal of a strong performance by Robert Downey, Jr.
Synopsis: When a string of brutal murders terrorizes London, it doesn't take long for legendary detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his crime-solving partner, Dr.... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
Directed By: Guy Ritchie
78%
83%
Synopsis: In this contemporary version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories, Dr. John Watson is a war vet just home from Afghanistan. He meets the... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Andrew Scott, Vinette Robinson
60%
Critics Consensus: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a good yarn thanks to its well-matched leading men but overall stumbles duplicating the well-oiled thrills of the original.
Synopsis: When Austria's crown prince is found dead, evidence seems to point to suicide. However, detective Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince was murdered and that... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams
Directed By: Guy Ritchie
96%
89%
Synopsis: This take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic character has Sherlock Holmes fleeing London for present-day Manhattan after a stint in rehab. He arrives to... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn, Jon Michael Hill
88%
Critics Consensus: Mr. Holmes focuses on the man behind the mysteries, and while it may lack Baker Street thrills, it more than compensates with tenderly wrought, well-acted drama.
Synopsis: Long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeeper's son as... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada
Directed By: Bill Condon
10%
Critics Consensus: The lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson than does Holmes and Watson.
Synopsis: Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson join forces to investigate a mysterious murder at Buckingham Palace. It seems like an open-and-shut case as all... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall, Rob Brydon
Directed By: Etan Cohen
100%
61%
Synopsis: Two females, a surgeon and an investigative consultant, lead this bold interpretation of Sherlock Holmes.
Starring: Yuko Takeuchi, Shihori Kanjiya, Ken'ichi Takitô
91%
Critics Consensus: Enola Holmes brings a breath of fresh air to Baker Street -- and leaves plenty of room for Millie Bobby Brown to put her effervescent stamp on a franchise in waiting.
Synopsis: While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother Sherlock and help a runaway lord.
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Sam Claflin, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed By: Harry Bradbeer
93%
Critics Consensus: Building on its predecessor with boisterously entertaining flair, Enola Holmes 2 solves the mystery of how to make a satisfying sequel -- and makes it look positively elementary.
Synopsis: Fresh off the triumph of solving her first case, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) follows in the footsteps of her famous brother, Sherlock (Henry Cavill),... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, David Thewlis
Directed By: Harry Bradbeer



