Review of Mr. Holmes (2015) by Jim H — 30 Dec 2015
Sherlock Holmes battles his failing memory as he tries to solve his last case, which still haunts him.
The highlight of this film is the masterful work by Ian McKellen, whose take on an aging Holmes brings to mind the thesis of A Beautiful Mind: that intelligence can outwit the infirmities of the body. Despite his failing memory, Holmes attempts to retrain his brain to renew his deductive capacities, and yet in the lines of McKellen's face, we see the emotional toll these additional intellectual acrobatics work on him.
The mystery plot is pedestrian, with a payoff that does not rival some of the classic Holmes mysteries, but in fairness, the film is about age and its ravages, not necessarily a typical whodunit.
Overall, I like this take on Holmes, though I pray that they don't take it too far with an uninspired sequel.
This review of Mr. Holmes (2015) was written by Jim H on 30 Dec 2015.
Mr. Holmes has generally received positive reviews.
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