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Mr. Holmes focuses on the man behind the mysteries, and while it may lack Baker Street thrills, it more than compensates with tenderly wrought, well-acted drama.
SUPER REVIEWER
All Critics (182) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (161) | Rotten (21) | DVD (1)
As someone who neither hungers for yet another incarnation of this character nor understands why anyone would, I watched in subdued bafflement. Jul 22, 2015 | Full Review…
As someone who neither hungers for yet another incarnation of this character nor understands why anyone would, I watched in subdued bafflement.
Wesley Morris
The mystery subplot lacks the ingenuity of the greatest Holmes stories, but McKellen excels, switching effortlessly between the reclusive beekeeper with a faltering memory and the elegant younger detective at the height of his powers. Jul 21, 2015 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…
The mystery subplot lacks the ingenuity of the greatest Holmes stories, but McKellen excels, switching effortlessly between the reclusive beekeeper with a faltering memory and the elegant younger detective at the height of his powers.
Devan Coggan
It's a gripping little tale, to be sure, but it's more than that. Somewhere in its tangle of timelines, false starts, and red herrings is a great truth about the unsolvable mystery of the human soul. Jul 19, 2015 | Full Review…
It's a gripping little tale, to be sure, but it's more than that. Somewhere in its tangle of timelines, false starts, and red herrings is a great truth about the unsolvable mystery of the human soul.
Bilge Ebiri
Even those who've read the book can be startled by what happens in Mr. Holmes, while they're being moved by McKellen in a role he's come to late, but with his customary elegance. Jul 17, 2015 | Full Review…
Even those who've read the book can be startled by what happens in Mr. Holmes, while they're being moved by McKellen in a role he's come to late, but with his customary elegance.
Bob Mondello
[An] intriguing if only semi-satisfying Sherlockian enterprise. Jul 17, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
[An] intriguing if only semi-satisfying Sherlockian enterprise.
Susan Wloszczyna
The best of it, as in Condon's other movies, are the details of emotions, fleeting but just as quickly caught - true concern camouflaged by flashes of impatience, unutterable despair masquerading as simple grief. Jul 17, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4
The best of it, as in Condon's other movies, are the details of emotions, fleeting but just as quickly caught - true concern camouflaged by flashes of impatience, unutterable despair masquerading as simple grief.
Stephen Whitty
Mr. Holmes just about gets the job done thanks to McKellen and Parker, but too many mediocre elements ensure this affair is a sad waste of a strong concept. May 17, 2019 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
Mr. Holmes just about gets the job done thanks to McKellen and Parker, but too many mediocre elements ensure this affair is a sad waste of a strong concept.
Nick Evan-Cook
Mr. Holmes is an exceptional and unique addition to the vast collection of Sherlock Holmes' journeys, rich with respect for its predecessors and bold in its thoughtful and reflective approach. May 10, 2019 | Rating: A | Full Review…
Mr. Holmes is an exceptional and unique addition to the vast collection of Sherlock Holmes' journeys, rich with respect for its predecessors and bold in its thoughtful and reflective approach.
Beth McDonough
It is far from a perfect but I enjoyed it. Apr 25, 2019 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…
It is far from a perfect but I enjoyed it.
Rachel Wagner
McKellen, delivering his inimitable drawl, is inevitably the star attraction here. He doesn't have to speak to have his presence felt, he can frown and find audiences laughing, and Jeffrey Hatcher's script sparkles in his hands. Apr 5, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
McKellen, delivering his inimitable drawl, is inevitably the star attraction here. He doesn't have to speak to have his presence felt, he can frown and find audiences laughing, and Jeffrey Hatcher's script sparkles in his hands.
Ed Frankl
Condon and Hatcher were just the men to bring this atypically humanistic vision of Sherlock Holmes from book to screen, and Mr. Holmes is a movie I'll be itching to revisit for years. Mar 13, 2019 | Rating: 8.5/10 | Full Review…
Condon and Hatcher were just the men to bring this atypically humanistic vision of Sherlock Holmes from book to screen, and Mr. Holmes is a movie I'll be itching to revisit for years.
Bernard Boo
McKellen is such a commanding presence that he keeps "Mr. Holmes" interesting, even when the story comes close to losing the audience. Jan 18, 2019 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…
McKellen is such a commanding presence that he keeps "Mr. Holmes" interesting, even when the story comes close to losing the audience.
Micheal Compton
Lifted by an excellent performance from Sir Ian McKellen, this is an insightful look at a de-romanticized, "real" Sherlock Holmes trying to hold on to his aging mind and volatile memories this side of life's wall while finally getting to realize the nuances of human complexity.
Super Reviewer
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.
Mr. Holmes is not your usual Sherlock Holmes mystery. In this movie, the mystery exists as Sherlock is drifting into dementia, and he can't quite figure out why he retired as a detective.
If you're looking for a detective adventure in the style of Guy Ritchie, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're looking for superb acting and drama focused on issues of aging, look no further. It doesn't take a brilliant sleuth to reach the conclusion that "Mr. Holmes" is an exceptionally well made film. The acting and script are beyond compare. At times, Sir Ian McKellen seems to channel Sir John Gielgud, in all the best senses. I would be shocked if Ian McKellen does not get a nod from the Academy for his performance in what is one of the best films of 2015. Hair, makeup, costumes, locations, cinematography, sound and directing are all excellent. With a slightly mischievous score and meticulous attention to texture and color in the visuals, "Mr. Holmes" is an elegant and rich feast for the senses. I cannot recommend this film highly enough -- just don't watch it expecting action, adventure, or anything beyond mild mystery.
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