Mr Holmes Review: Ian McKellen’s Brilliance Saves This Slow Burner

Director: Bill Condon

Starring: Ian McKellen, Milo Parker, Laura Linney, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Hiroyuki Sanada

Running Time: 1 hour 45 mins 

Rating: PG

Release Date: 19th June 2015

While Guy Richie enlisted the help of Hollywood heart throb Robert Downey Jr. to portray Baker’s Street most genius resident, it is our own Benedict Cumberbatch that seems to hold the title of most loved Sherlock Holmes. With Cumberbatch joining forces with his Watson, Martin Freeman and DOCTOR WHO writer Steven Moffat, BBC’s SHERLOCK blew up the small screen and quickly scooped ferociously loyal fans from across the entire globe. 

One would be forgiven then in struggling to imagine a different Sherlock capturing our hearts and imaginations. Luckily for us, these natural misconceptions are joyfully dismissed with Bill Condon‘s impeccable casting of Sir Ian McKellen in his latest feature; MR. HOLMES. Working within a non-linear narrative form, MR. HOLMES dips its toes into three seperate stages of Sherlock’s life, exploring the rhythm and reason behind the ninety-three-year-old’s present behaviour. 

Initially, audiences witness Holmes’ current elderly state as a ninety-three-year-old as he moves back to his coastal home where he develops a touching relationship with his housekeeper’s son. With young Milo Parker playing Holmes’ new friend Roger, the two of them create some wonderfully sweet chemistry. Roger soon suspects that Holmes’ memory is not what it used to be, which easily glides into the two separate stories that run throughout the main narrative. Not only do audiences travel back to Sherlock’s time in Japan, on the search for a cure to his memory loss, but also one of his greatest forgotten mysteries; the investigation of Ann Kelmot (Hattie Morahan). 

The general take on Sherlock as a character is actually really interesting and it totally works. Audience’s are so used to seeing the likes of Downey and Cumberbatch playing young and sexy versions of the famous detective, it is refreshing to take a look at Sherlock after his hay-day. At his oldest, audiences see’s McKellen play Holmes at ninety-three and being the great national treasure that he is, it feels wholly devastating to see McKellen in such a vulnerable state and like an enchanted grandchild, one feels hopeless to witness his pain. This certainly aids to the touching intimacy McKellen bring’s out in this notoriously closed-off character. McKellen skillfully dives into his character, creating a multi-layered and complex kind of Sherlock that is both hugely likable and suitably challenging. There are moments where we see a grumpy, almost comedic take on Sherlock, something that taps into a soft spot within the audience that they didn’t even know they had. 

The casting of McKellen is most definitely the film’s brightest highlight and it’s a great shame that the three running narratives do not pack in the same heartwarming effect. While there are dramatic moments within each storyline, there just isn’t enough to create the kind of action and effect audiences are used to when Sherlock Holmes in concerned. Sherlock’s time in Japan, while visually interesting, appears wholly irrelevant and while there is a moment of clarity towards the very end of the narrative; it almost feels a little too late. 

It’s clear from the start that Sherlock’s unsolved mystery involving Ann Kelmot is to be the biggest draw for audiences and it indeed does start off as wonderfully intriguing, as it skirts the lines of supernatural and dark magic. However, as the narrative continues and we begin to find out just why Sherlock has been struggling to remember and forgive himself for it, it becomes less and less intriguing and actually ends rather abruptly. While this story is touching and indeed sad, it just doesn’t slam audiences with enough drama to ensure that fully engages audiences emotional interest and commitment. 

With the pace remaining on the wrong side of leisurely and dramatic moments often leading to nothing, the general narrative within MR.HOLMES just doesn’t hold enough drama to pack the biggest emotional punch it could have. While this is a shame, it doesn’t take away from the utter pleasure that is McKellen’s performance. He’s as enchanting as you’d come to expect and with the wonderful score and visual pleasings; MR. HOLMES proves to be a charming, all-be-it sleepy watch.  

Verdict

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