By Keeva Stratton
If you don’t believe it’s possible to rekindle the story of London’s most famous detective post Benedict Cumberbatch with any sort of meaningful appeal, you ought to see Mr Holmes.
In Mr Holmes we are introduced to a long-retired, 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes, recently returned from Japan. The mystery he is attempting to solve is one brought about by his own senility, which has played with his mind and forced the once-brilliant detective into a state of eternal frustration.
His housekeeper (Laura Linney) finds him challenging. Widowed and poor, she is concerned at the strong bond her young son, Roger (Milo Parker), is forming with the aging detective. She’s worried that once they get close, he too will die, leaving her son again heartbroken. Sherlock is also inspiring intellectual curiosities in Milo that his status in life may never allow him to realise.
Despite this, Sherlock and Roger persist with their friendship. He teaches the boy about bees, and through their relationship begins to remember details of a long-forgotten case.
The case—his last—is one that his memory has suppressed, and he cannot remember what happened, or why. What he knows is that he must’ve got something wrong, because it ultimately is the case that convinced him to retire. Even when reading the books Watson had written about their famous cases, the facts of the fictional version of his last case seem out of place.
Sherlock, with Roger’s help, must follow the clues that he has left for himself in order to discover the truth. Unlike his past cases though, he is the subject he is trying to solve, making it a final mystery worthy of his mastery.
Mr Holmes is a heart-warming and genuinely delightful addition to the legend and myriad interpretations of Sherlock Holmes. Along with the witticisms, brilliance and cutting intellect we’ve come to expect from Holmes, Ian McKellen adds so much depth and richness as he struggles with age and his increasing lack of tolerance for social pleasantries. It is a performance worth many plaudits.
The film perfectly acknowledges and includes the Holmes literary legend into its own story, offering a few rewards for long-term fans. And, beyond the familiarity, Mr Holmes offers a stand-alone narrative between a dying old man and a curious young boy that is genuinely moving.
From the cinematography to the scriptwriting, this is a wonderful film, and one that can be enjoyed by those of all ages and genre predilections.
Directed by: Bill Condon
Starring: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney
Rating: PG
Runtime: 104mins
Release Date: 23 July
Reviewer rating: 5/5