Review of Mr. Holmes (2015) by Lovro H — 17 Oct 2015

It's been a long time since the last Sherlock Holmes movie. When this got announced I was very excited! Especially since Sherlock was going to be played by Ian McKellen! Now, a lot of people have been complaining that the movie is too slow paced and not what they were expecting.

I went into the movie knowing that and I tried to overlook the slow pace and lack of tension, but at times it was hard. Yes, this movie is nothing like the Robert Downey Jr. version or the Benedict Cumberbatch one.

It's still a damn great movie, though! The movie follows Sherlock Holmes in his 93rd year of life as he lives with his housekeeper and her son, Roger, in a secluded house out of the village. Sherlock's last case scarred him deeply and he had to retire from the job.

Now, his past starts haunting him as Roger wants to know what exactly happened in that case. Unfortunately, Sherlock doesn't remember a lot of it and the rest of the movie is basically Sherlock remembering the case and writing down, along with some drama.

The story is very intriguing, as well are the characters. Ian McKellen portrayal of Sherlock is very different from the other ones, but also one of the most interesting ones. Here, we see him old and hurt, at his weakest, while in all the other incarnations he was always a smart, seemingly immortal, detective.

So, it's great to see a different approach to the character. There are a few scenes which genuinely touched me, but there were also scenes which seemed a bit over the top dramatic. The director did a great job and the movie is beautiful to look at.

The whole movie has a very relaxing tone to it and sometimes seems like a Downton Abbey episode. All in all, a great movie, but not a great Sherlock Holmes movie as it misses the suspense and tension of the case-solving.

I would still recommend it to fans of Sherlock Holmes and those just looking for a relaxing movie for a Sunday afternoon.