Mr. Holmes

No spoilers, I promise The first thing that struck me about this movie was how different it is to other adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. It is very far from Robert Downey Jr's interpretation, which I thought was very good. It is so similar to Conan Doyle's books (even with Watson's romanticised twists on things) that I would advise fans of the BBC's Sherlock to steer clear, as it is a very different Holmes to the one they love.

I would recommend this for a 10+ age group, as anyone younger may not understand the complex messages that are being conveyed - they also might find two scenes in particular too frightening.

Ian McKellen is an outstanding actor, and this performance shows it. He is engaging throughout the entire run time and provides us with some very touching moments that leave us thinking long and hard. The story is very intriguing, and the ending very satisfying, even if it is a little heart-breaking.

I conclusion, I suggest you go and see this film if you are a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When I first heard that Ian McKellen landed the role of Sherlock Holmes in a film about the end of the great detective's life, I knew he would be perfect for the part, and indeed, he was. "Mr. Holmes" (2015), based on a novel by Mitch Cullin called "A Slight Trick of the Mind", is a delightful film, full of humor and sadness as Mr. Holmes revisits his last case, and finds his memory isn't quite what it used to be. He has retired to his cottage by the sea and taken up his well known hobby of beekeeping or apiculture. With him are his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her son, Roger (Milo Parker), a precocious young boy. The on screen dynamic between these three is astonishing. More is conveyed in one glance than could be said in lines of dialog.

The sets were detailed with precision, the scenery was vibrant and gorgeous (except one scene which was perfectly moody and dark), and the cinematography was stunning. The score was perfectly understated and captured the sentiment of the scenes with finesse.

"Mr. Holmes" is a very different kind of Sherlock Holmes story. It is sentimental without being saccharine and I believe it is a fair representation of the greatest detective in fictional history. The movie is set to be released in Great Britain on June 19 and in the U.S. on July 17. I recommend it highly.

What an awesome twist to a classic character. Very low burning to start and gradually boils to a blistering finale. I bet NOBODY sees the twist and if they do they are probably being untruthful. Brilliantly acted by the cast, including young Milo,who should become a regular screen presence( Let's hope he doesn't end up in a franchise mess).Beautifully filmed with little or possibly no over the top CGI,this should satisfy any serious movie fan. The use of close-up and panoramic camera work takes us right into the story and each character tells there own story to us. There were moments when I thought the plot was thinning but during the last 15 minutes all became clear.This movie shows us that any decisions we make can come back to haunt us but also that we may be over guilt-tripping ourselves.Storytelling at it's British best. This could not be made anywhere else in the world.At a time when the cinemas are full of so called "Blockbusters" this is a step to the side and proves that true art can be achieved without a clever computer programme.

When I hear the word 'detective', the first name that always comes to my mind is 'Sherlock Holmes'. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's great sleuth is without a doubt the most celebrated and renowned fictional detective of all time. Naturally we have had a lot of screen adaptations of this famed character in cinema as well as on television. Great actors through the decades have portrayed this character. We've had portrayals by Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Jeremy Brett(my favourite Holmes), Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch to name a few. But this new portrayal of the character in 'Mr. Holmes' by Sir Ian McKellen is a very unique and interesting one. It is different from the other portrayals that I mentioned above. The stylish, brilliant and charismatic Holmes gets replaced by an aged and weary Sherlock Holmes who is battling memory loss triggered by senility instead of criminals and murderers. Laura Linney, Hattie Morahan, Hiroyuki Sanada and Milo Parker make up the rest of the cast.

Probably the most admirable aspect of this film is the fact that I believed in Ian McKellen's Holmes. I actually believed that Sherlock Holmes in his old age will probably act and behave in the way McKellen portrays him. A man who was celebrated for his cerebral capabilities will find it immensely difficult to cope with old age and the memory loss that comes along with it and probably even more so than the rest of us. The screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher is based on the book 'A Slight Trick of the Mind' by Mitch Cullin. It has a non-linear pattern as we follow three time lines. The direction by Bill Condon is very good and the transition from one time line to the next in the non-linear screenplay is seamless and Condon never allows that to confuse the viewer.

This is one of the best Ian McKellen performances I have seen. He is pretty much flawless. He plays Holmes in his 90s as well as in his 70s and the distinctions in his physicality while playing these respective versions are very apparent. The Holmes in his 70s is a little more upright, more active and more verbally eloquent. While in his 90s, McKellen gives the character a slightly hunched posture and a somewhat blank facial appearance. Apart from the physical transformations, McKellen expertly gets under the skin of this character and brings some heart, charm and likability that is undeniable. We helplessly feel sorry for this man trying to cope with his deteriorating health. Holmes in this film desperately tries to ward off his memory loss by using 'Royal Jelly' or the Japanese 'Prickly Ash'. This desperate attempt by Holmes to stay relevant in his own eyes reminded me to some extent of Woody Grant's attempt to stay relevant in the film 'Nebraska' by actually believing that he had won a big lottery which will win him a lot of money. Laura Linney, the young Milo Parker and Hattie Morahan are all very good too.

The theme of the film basically dealt with Holmes' transition from being a professional detective driven solely by logic to an old man who finally realises the virtues of kindness and care and actually comes to identify how he has benefited from the kindness showered on him by people around him including his old friend and colleague John Watson. The whole concept of an old man becoming friends with a kid and evolving because of it is not new. But Bill Condon's direction and Sir Ian McKellen's acting made me believe in the chemistry between Holmes and Roger.

The makeup work on McKellen was fantastic. He looked like a believable 90 year old. The cinematography is good. Condon uses picturesque wide angle shots of the ravishing greenery of the English countryside. The production design is good for the most part except for a brief spell when Holmes spends some time in Japan. Unfortunately Japan looked a little too much like England. Another minor flaw for me was the dialogue in one or two scenes which felt a little artificial like when Laura Linney's character talks about the kid Roger's father.

So overall this is a very charming film with a good screenplay, good direction and great acting. The film humanises the character of Sherlock Holmes in a unique way without diminishing his brilliance as a detective. People who love the Holmes stories and the different adaptations of the characters will love this, and people who aren't big fans of the character will probably find this film impressive too.

A nicely understated film, which has all the twists of a Holmes story that you might expect, wrapped up in a warm hearted kitchen sink drama about an aged detective, and the relationship between him, his housekeeper and her son. All linked in with bee keeping. The story has a number of strands, but they are all interwoven seamlessly, so you don't become so engrossed about one that you forget the others.