Review of Mr. Holmes (2015) by Kazcruse — 08 Aug 2015

As someone who is a GIGANTIC fan of period pieces, and someone who attended with two people who are NOT, this was an interesting visit to the cinema. And this is cinema, not just a movie. Whereas my friends found the first 1/3 of the film to be too lumbering, too much exposition, and generally, taking an inordinate SLOW pace to get to the point, I, other hand, reveled in the era, the costumes and the build up to the multifaceted mystery.

The genius I find in director Bill Condon's pace is that it weaved a traditional Sherlock Holmes web. There are several stories, plots and nuances to the pace of the film. For me, if it had gone any more quickly in the first third of the film, the culmination, the answers, the revelations and the insight would have been much harder to piece together, and have left us with a lot more questions.

The personal story for Mr. Holmes' aging tugs at the heart strings. Without giving anything away - the who, what, when, where and why become painfully and ruefully obvious. You feel for Mr. Holmes in a visceral way.

Sir Ian McKellan is, well, Sir Ian McKellan. Giving his all to the part, BEing it instead of DOing it. You won't catch him acting here. I do question the casting of the American actress, Laura Linney.

Her colloquial accent is muddy and at times fleeting - although her intrinsic vulnerability is evident. That is what Ms. Linney does best, play the vulnerable, insecure character with a rich back story.

But I really didn't care about her at all until far into the film. That was not, I imagine, the writer's intention. I kept asking myself why, with all the brilliant British female actors there are today, one of them did not take on this project? I know there are a multitude of reason why any actor is cast in a role and it doesn't serve this film at all to dwell on it.

To say that Milo Parker is a fresh face, at least to American audiences, and a breath of fresh air, is an understatement. He is real, real, real. You truly care about him and his relationship with Mr.

Holmes. I can't give the film a 10 because to the general viewing public it will drag in the first portion of the film and may dissuade potential viewers from seeing it for that reason. BUT, that being said, I say GO! Hang in there, the rewards are sweet.