Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Palaest recommended

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Motompa Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Stephen Abell Sherlock Holmes has been retired for thirty years. Upon finally reading Dr John Watson's stories for the first time along with watching a "Talking Picture" depicting his last adventure, Sherlock decides to write the truth about his last case. Dr Watson had always been liberal with the facts, for entertainment's sake. Though, the last case is niggling at Sherlock's deteriorating mind... It must have been very important as it made him turn his back on the profession he loved. Will there be enough time to get it all down on paper before his memory fails completely?This is a nice "What If?" story. Writer, Mitch Cullen (who wrote the novel) and screenplay writer Jeffrey Hatcher do no disservice to the character Arthur Conan Doyle created. This is still the same Sherlock Holmes of the stories, though older, but maybe not wiser. Ian McKellen was a perfect choice for this aged character and he gives a brilliant portrayal. Though it's Laura Linney who surprised me the most. For me, she's never been a draw. However, I am pleased to say that as Mrs Munro, Sherlock's housekeeper, she is great. There was a slight moment when we first meet her and her accent slips into across between American and North Country. However, this is only for a few seconds. From there on in her accent is pretty good. Not perfect, though, not bad. One of my favourite scenes in the film is when Mrs Munro is discussing her late husband with her son, Roger (Parker). When Roger asks her if she's good at making up stories, her reply and the look on her face, along with the pregnant pause, really does show a whole range of emotions in just a few scant seconds - very well done. Milo Parker is a very strong actor who had to contend with working with a great cast, which he did seamlessly. The director, Condon, did a great job of not letting the character of Roger steal the show, which could have easily happened.Condon also does a fantastic job of filming. Using camera shots to add atmosphere and show locations to their best advantage. The part where Sherlock follows Anne Kelmot (Morahan) through London is a perfect example. The scene at the train station where she makes a pay-off is one of my favourites in the film. What with the steam filling the platforms and the shots looking between the moving carriages. It really does set the scene well.To be honest, I really couldn't find anything wrong with either the story or the film. As I've said before, I am not a fan of flashbacks. Though here they are used to tell Sherlock's last case as he tries to remember it and write it down. Then you have the remembrances of Japan where Sherlock has recently been looking for a remedy to his failing memory. These are expertly told and done in such a way that adds power and depth to the story... not confusion, which is the case with a lot of films. In a lot of movies, flashbacks add a disjointed feeling to the pace and structure. Luckily for the viewer, Condon is a master at weaving them into the story with seemingly effortless ease.This film is a must-see for all Sherlock fans, Mystery Lovers, Thriller Fans, and Armchair Detectives everywhere. This hasn't made it into my top ten movies, though I have to admit I'll watch it again... I may even consider buying a copy.

hilaryjrp This review contains Spoilers because I suspect other viewers may, as I did, begin this slow-moving, deceptively disjointed, seemingly undramatic film...and, on first try, give up because it's "depressing" and about a genius losing his memory. Is he really losing his memory? That treacly old song from the 70's says, "what's too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget."Sherlock Holmes in advanced old age, after the end of World War II, travels by train to a stunning country house he has maintained (we learn) for thirty-five years, after renouncing the profession of detective for that of apparently--none. He has been and still is profoundly interested in bees, and he keeps and tends bees at the country home. There, Mrs. Munro and her young son Roger (Laura Linney and Milo Parker) look after the home. Mrs. Munro is one of those dangerous people whose very bitter life experiences have left passionate about duty and routine, but less observant of the demands of kindness. Not a stern woman, and certainly never cruel, she is nevertheless mean-spirited, especially when two things happen: her adorable son (Milo Parker has a big career ahead of him) quickly shows aptitude for beekeeping and innate, aristocratic sensitivity to her boss; and, second, Holmes makes the brutal remark to her that it often happens that "extraordinary children are often the product of unremarkable parents."Luckily, "Mr. Holmes" is no repetition of either PBS' "Sherlock," or "Elementary," or the Robert Downey films. It does not exhaust the viewer with its hero's cruel wit. Except for this early and miserable slight, Ian McKellen gives a tour de force performance as a frightened, sometimes terrified, old man whose reason for living eludes but haunts him. It haunts him in the image of a Roaring Twenties-dressed female, a sad-faced woman whom encroaching dementia makes appear to him as real. But do his hallucinations indicate dementia--or a guilty conscience?The extraordinary thing about this stunningly plotted and meticulously developed script is that it remains so true to the "Sherlock Holmes" of legend, while filling in plot holes in other versions of the fictitious detective's life-- plot holes found even in the books. That plot hole will be addressed in an unforgettable flashback scene and addresses head-on the loneliness of a mind as brilliant as his. Loneliness as a huge part of the human *and* Holmesian condition is described in dialogue you'll find yourself reaching for a pen or stylus to transcribe; it is *that* good.Between beekeeping, a very private but frantic search for a cure for his "dementia," and the attempt to finish his "first story" (all the others were written by Dr. Watson), Holmes' mundane reliance on young Roger's innocence and idolatry of him as a father-figure becomes something much MUCH more than a cozy story of a grampa learning to be entertained by a kid's zest for life. At stake in "Mr. Holmes" is the redemptive power of love--and by the word "redemption," I mean salvation in a religious sense. There aren't words to describe how moving, entertaining, and sage this film is. See if it you're old and scared about the future, see it if you're young and scared about the future, see it if you're bitter and scared about the future. As Roger reminds his 93-year-old BFF, he had a 102-year-old uncle. Holmes characteristically tries to one-up Roger: "Ah, but what are the chances you'll know *two* who live to that age?" To which Roger replies: "I didn't really know the other one all that well."This film is a revelation in more ways than one.

Aodhanrooney While Robert Downey Jr is absent from the iconic role of the World's Greatest Detective on the big screen, legendary British actor Ian Mckellan steps in those shoes. From achieving international success and critical acclaim from playing franchise-favourite roles like Erik Lensherr/Magneto (X-Men) and Gandalf (Lord of the Rings Trilogy/The Hobbit Trilogy), Mckellan has just about what fans or moviegoers might expect from taking on the role of Sherlock Holmes. Mckellan fits the role brilliantly, but if one was expecting a crime thriller they may be disappointed. The story takes off with an elderly Holmes, age 93, as he lives under a roof of a countryside house and cared for by a housekeeper and her intriguing son. The point is: Holmes is old and unable to come out of retirement to solve one last crime, as fans may have hoped for; but he suffers from memory loss as he tries to recall a recent case he was working on several years prior. This is followed by flashbacks from that case, which may give fans a bit of comfort, but the real attraction is the performance of Mckellan and his relationship with the boy, which develops a situation of importance to the story. In comparison to other recent adaptations of the World's Greatest Detective like BBC's Sherlock, Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes and its 2011 sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, both starring Robert Downey Jr, Mr Holmes probably isn't the crime thriller most were hoping for, but shines a bit of light with great performances and a heart-warming story.

bzbee-39855 Never have I seen such an insult to my favorite character, Sherlock Holmes. An absolute nonsense of a movie riding a great name. There should be a criminal case against a director and producers of this disgusting crap. Please never ever see this movie if you have any respect for the detective. I gave a resounding 1 only because 0 is not available. The Movie is just too damn slow. Nothing seems to be happening at all in the entirety of the movie. Music is too awful and it feels like the eternity while I was trying to watch it.Overall, this movie is only good if you are trying to commit suicide or playing a prank on your friend. Or, maybe it should only be played in old homes. Just simply a horrible movie.