Mr Holmes - Cinema Review

Amidst the suave, young modern reincarnations of Sherlock Holmes by Robert Downey Jr and Benidorm Flannelcatch, Mr Holmes is a refreshingly different take on the character, probably closer to his older portrayals than modern revamps, not solely due to the period being 1947.

The story follows a retired Sherlock at 93, living in a secluded seaside cottage with only a housekeeper and her son for company. For a mind as impeccably sharp as that of Sherlock Holmes, the worst affliction you could possibly deal him is a dulling of the mind from old age and senility. Eccentricities still intact, this portrayal is more bitter in his snarky retorts and riddled with regret sparking the interest of the housekeeper's son Roger, despite his mother's warnings.

Roger learns that Sherlock is convinced of an innacuracy in John Watson's literature retelling of his final case before he retired, but cannot recall the exact details from his own memory and has journeyed to Japan to retrieve rare, herbal mental stimulants. The story is full of flashbacks but appropriately so as Mr Holmes catches glimpses of memories and struggles to write down the truth of what went so badly wrong that he gave up detective work forever.

To go much deeper into the plot is to spoil the many suprises and twists the story has but suffice to say the plot is deeply considered and expertly written with moments of levity, grief and tension whilst proving the ultimate challenge for this iconic character. The film is fairly slow paced to match Sherlock's now reluctantly frail character but aside from possible pacing issues early on, the plot suitably digs its heels in later on and might be even better because of said slow build up.

There's a lot of bees in this story as well. Probably metaphorical on many levels.

As you would expect the highlight of the film is Sir Ian Mckellen in the titular role, perfectly inhabiting the doused fiery soul of the eccentric famous detective. This is particularly prominent in the flashbacks to 30 years prior and the case prompting Holme's retirement where Sherlock, whilst older, still has his classic pride of intellect and theatrical flair in his deductive wit and processes.

All the other main characters are solidly performed as well but Mckellen is simply magnetic whenever he's on screen, exactly as Sherlock should be, even at such a grand age. For fans of Sir Ian Mckellen i would go so far as to call this unmissable, particularly if you've interest in Sherlock Holmes or mystery dramas as well.

In trying to narrow down a recommendation and refine criticisms i can only really point out the slow pacing and subdued tone of events. It seems silly and obvious to even have to point out but this is not your Hollywood Sherlock and it's not packed full of action scenes, but the drama is still definitely there and rather than spectacle the plot is a guessing game, very careful in its slow relevealing of plot details.

So for a more subtle and introspective Sherlock Holmes film as the perfect alternative to modern interpretations of the character or simply a great crime mystery in general with excellent character drama  i would highly recommend Mr Holmes.

I also kept trying to deduce if they were digitally aging or de-aging Sir Ian in some scenes...