Mr. Holmes (2015)

Mr. Holmes Movie Review

Mr. Holmes is a 2015 drama mystery film directed by Bill Condon and starring Ian McKellen. It is quite a good movie and such a pleasant surprise.

Holmes is now 93 and he tries to recall the details of his final case. This film is very interesting and such an unusual Sherlock Holmes flick. It focuses more on drama instead of detective mystery and I absolutely loved that as it led to such great character development and an emotionally engaging approach.

But that formula does have its flaws and that is its mystery. The whole Japanese subplot is lacking when compared to the bee one because the mystery is just never as interesting or as involving as it should have been. It does have some fine moments here and there and its details led to that beautiful ending, but this is still the weaker subplot here and the film’s biggest detractor.

But that second subplot is just wonderful. I loved the characters in particular. The mother was too vilified at first, but she thankfully got better treatment as the story progressed. Roger is so good as this incredibly smart British kid and Holmes is fantastic here. The film is the best when it deals with his problems from mind deterioration and aging to his last case to the things that he regrets. There are so many scenes in Mr. Holmes that are just so heartwarming and the highlights are the scenes with Roger, the dialogue he has with the mother near the end and of course that tender finale. He is such a complex, fascinating character and the best reason to see the film.

But the relationship between Roger and Holmes is so endearing and their scenes also have such a wonderful and charming humor to them as well. I just loved that relationship and it is the heart of the film. The acting is great as both Laura Linney and Milo Parker did such a good job and of course Ian McKellen is terrific in his role. He not only delivered in those more dramatic and emotional scenes, but he was also perfectly cast as he suits this role so well.

Mr. Holmes is leisurely paced and although that was problematic, especially in the first half, the film is still never boring as it plays as a character-driven, warm drama that I love. The dialogue is really good and the tone is great as it wonderfully shifts from dramatic to comedic. The score is also solid and of course the film is visually magnificent with such wonderful natural scenery and some great interiors as well. It is always beautiful to watch and it is so well shot. The first act is never as good as the other two, but that third act is just perfect as it ends both of its subplots in such a satisfying manner. In the end, Mr. Holmes is such a good movie that caught me by surprise as I never expected it would be this good, this heartwarming and this charming. It has such an immense charm and coziness factor to it that it is a perfect film for Sherlock Holmes fans and also for those who aren’t ones as well.

Its Japanese subplot is lacking in comparison to the bee one, but Mr. Holmes benefits from such a unique approach with a larger focus on character-driven drama instead of detective mystery and I loved that about as it led to such good character development, terrific character interactions, some heartwarming scenes and a moving ending. It is also a beautiful to look at and charming movie and overall such a pleasant surprise.

My Rating – 4