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Review: Mr. Holmes

Review: Mr. Holmes

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Stories can be a magical thing. As you get swept into the current of someone else’s imagination, you can be taken so far along the journey that you forget the effects of the everyday and the mundane. You can often forget that well past the final page of the book or the final scene of a movie, that character you’ve grown to love will have to return to their everyday life, be it as a wizard, an adventurer or, in this particular case, a detective.
Sherlock Holmes stands as one of the greatest minds ever to exist in literature. Since his first appearance in print in 1887, the world’s greatest detective has seen many adventures, and nearly as many depictions on the silver screen with more recent portrayals given by Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch. However, all of his depictions thus far have shown him at the height of his career, as a quick witted, oft misunderstood genius. Mr. Holmes takes a different approach, showing our favourite ‘consulting detective’ in his later years, having recently retired from his final case.
Having just returned from a recent trip to Japan, Sherlock Holmes settles back in to his country estate, living in solitude with his housekeeper, Mrs Munro, and her son, Roger. Holmes lives a quiet life in his later years, spending his days attending to his apiaries, and attempting to write the real truth of the cases that his partner, John Watson, had so grossly romanticised in his novels. However, it soon becomes apparent that not all is well for the world’s greatest detective, as his old age has finally begun to take its toll, and his mind is becoming affected by senility. Holmes, while still able to catch note of acute facts that others would miss, is failing to recall certain facts about his every day life, and fears his memory may soon slip away entirely.
Meanwhile, Mrs Munro has begun worrying about her future and that of her son, Roger, who is becoming increasingly fascinated with Mr Holmes and his adventures. Roger has taken to sneaking into Holmes’ study whilst he was away, and reading the stories he had been writing. Of course, Mr Holmes has caught wise to this intrusion and confronted the boy about it, but instead of punishing him, he decides to share his adventures and begins teaching the boy about life, investigations and, of course, beekeeping.
The story unfolds in a rather interesting way as Holmes struggles to recall his final case for his memoirs, repeatedly having flashbacks between both the case and his recent trip to Japan, in search of a rare root known as Prickly Ash which he hopes will restore his memories. The use of flashbacks in the movie is relied upon heavily in order to tie all of these stories together. Holmes may see something small, such as a name written on his shirt sleeve, which can trigger his memories and help us relate that story to his actions in the present. All in all, the concept of these flashbacks not only gives weight to Holmes’ actions and frustrations throughout the film, but also gives us an insight into just how far truth can differ from legend.
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Likewise, the counterpoint to Holmes’ character, as an oft misunderstood eccentric, can be seen in Roger, an innocent, curious young boy who has yet to see the dangers of the world, and hence cannot understand why his mother is so fearful of the time he is spending with Mr. Holmes. The sad thing is that despite living in such proximity to Holmes, Mrs. Munro and her son know little about him aside from the tales they’ve read in Dr. Watson’s book  and, to Mrs. Munro, Holmes can only be seen as an eccentric recluse, shut off from the world and only a few steps from the end of his life. She worries that if Roger spends too much time with Holmes, not only could she lose the interest of her only remaining family, but Roger could turn out just the same as Holmes; alone at the end of his life with nothing but his bees for company.
Also to be noted is the way that the director cleverly shows us things we may have missed as an audience, but also hides things from Holmes. For instance, a certain camera angle within earshot can prove invaluable information for the audience trying to piece together this tale, but if Holmes happens to be out of shot or paying attention to other things, he can easily fall into another conclusion. In the end, the movie itself turns into an investigation all on its own, with every viewer trying frantically to dissect each and every clue.
In the end, this movie is as astonishing and witty as I think we all expected from our dear Ian McKellen, as such a respected name wouldn’t have attached himself to a subpar movie so late in his career. However, there is the worrying thought that while the story told us of Sherlock Holmes’ final escapades, it may also mark the end of a fantastic career for McKellen, as he approaches his late 70s. Nevertheless, such grim thoughts can be saved for another day. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some old novels to re-read.

Superb performances with an intriguing story 9/10

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