User Reviews

This is my personal favorite film of all time, so much so I went out and bought the book it was based on; A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin. I can happily say after reading the book and watching this movie many times, that the movie surpasses the book, and all expectations. - The last intent I have is to spoil any aspects of this movie, as those who have not yet seen it, should go and do so immediately. The basic premise is that Sherlock Holmes has gone into retirement over a mistake he made during his last case. The issue is that he cannot remember what mistake it was… Understanding his mortality and age, Holmes tries everything from honey to herbs, but the only thing that really jogs his memory is a father-son relationship he has with his housekeeper’s son. As you make your way through this beautifully told, acted, written, directed story the mystery of Sherlock Holmes’s retirement, mistake, and forgiveness unfolds before you. Please, watch this film.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Mc Kellen looks brilliant as an unconceivable Sherlock Holmes: senile, without his magic touch, without his confidents; in a profile far away from the typical victorian detective we`ve seen in movies and books. A good choice for a weekend evening.

Des Genies größter Schatz ist sein Verstand – und Sherlock Holmes droht seinen zu verlieren: Der mittlerweile in Rente gegangene Meisterdetektiv kämpft auf dem britischen Land mit der Altersdemenz, bei der Stange halten den Hobby-Imker nur seine Bienen und der wissbegierige Sohn der Haushälterin. Stets den bedrohlich schwindenden Geist im Rücken, rekonstruieren sie zusammen Holmes’ letzten Fall, den Regisseur Bill Condon als schicken und dezent spannenden Kostümfilm-Flashback mit leichtem Mysterytouch inszeniert. Der im Gegensatz zu Holmes im Alter noch bessere Ian McKellen verkörpert Arthur Conan Doyles Helden dabei brillant und wechselt angenehm leichtfüßig zwischen 30 Jahre jüngerem Aktivdetektiv und senilem Rentner. Viel mehr Philodrama als echter Krimi, sticht Mr. Holmes so deutlich und positiv aus dem Doyle-Katalog hervor. Nur ein überflüssiger Nebenstrang und die letztlich in der Gegenwart etwas verpuffende Haupthandlung drücken die Gesamtqualität.

The famous English detective at his old age. Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes, totally loved it. Directed by an Oscar winning filmmaker, the film was based on the novel 'A Slight Trick of the Mind'. It focused the long retired Sherlock Holmes, who now lives in the English countryside where he meets a boy. He tries to recall one of his old cases, but struggles as he's very old to remember. So with the help of the boy, he undertakes to correct the book version of the story and besides, they together establish beekeeping as a hobby. It was not that great, though an enjoyable small drama. Having a greatest detective character in it, you just can't expect a boring regular drama of the life. The narration had a multiple layer, in each how much Mr. Holmes dedicates himself to solves the case was nicely told. And of course, all of them had its own twist. After all, that's what everybody seeks from a film with Sherlock Holmes. I'm sure you would have seen several films and/or series based on this character, but this film was something unique and only one kind, except if there's a sequel planned for this. Some people might be disappointed in this for being somewhat simple, but for a 93 year old man this storyline looked very appropriate and Ian did a fantastic job. I anticipated someone young actor for those flashback parts, but in the end, I'm happy that it was a one man show as it should be. It is a must see for his fans. 7/10

A profoundly moving film about an aging, lonely Sherlock Holmes. Ian McKellen as always is in top form. I greatly enjoyed the story of his last case, interspersed with his efforts to train the son of his housekeeper to care for his apiary.

If you admire Sherlock Holmes in any way, then, pray, do not see this film. Yes, those of us fortunate enough to survive middle age are inevitably diminished by old age. And "Mr. Holmes" is proof enough that were the Great Detective to grow old and feeble he should be allowed to endure his final years with dignity and in private. This film, unfortunately, dwells on every evidence of infirmity. It is by turns unpleasant, discomforting, and excruciating. I can only conclude that Jeffrey Hatcher, the screenwriter, or Bill Condon, the director, or one or another of the producers, or all of them, must harbor a secret loathing for fiction's most iconic detective and thus provided us with this horrific vision of Sherlock Holmes, not only enfeebled by age, but brought to such a state of mental derangement, or depression, that he rejects logic, embraces emotion, and, in effective, renounces everything that Sherlock Holmes has ever been. It is really a dreadful story, made all the more nightmarish by the skills of the stellar Sir Ian. Why didn't they simply buy up every copy of every Holmes story in existence and burn every last one? It would have been less painful to behold.

Ian McKellen truly is the great Sherlock, he is so good in this character of aged Sherlock, he is even better in the oldster one. I think this Sherlock is the closest version to reality although some maybe call him boring, definitely that is not true, a Sherlock with computer mind and all of his pose about how much he is smarter than the other is not true picture of Sherlock even though in this way his work is more stirring. The path of story is great, we are in present and the last days of his life, but thru one of his memory, we are able to see what happened in his last case. The events of his last case and the present are connected somehow and form main story.

Perhaps, Mr. Holmes could be a bit boring for ignorant viewers or not-Sherlock-Holmes-fans spectators. But is much realistic as the original Sherlock Holmes series, full of mister you, deaths, danger and, of course, at least, just some of heart of friends and families. Sherlock Holmes is back here anyway, and he's still alive, so that's the nuclear point.

Meaningless clutter as seen by the masses, and exquisite to its wanted audience. The acting was magnificent, the story even more. But the true gem behind this art piece is the concept it explores. A truth is defined as right, but is it always?

I found the movie quite enjoyable really. It was soft, compelling and smart but not pretentious. The multiple story lines are self serving and well directed.

For even a casual fan of Sherlock, this movie about the detectives "senior" years is a good one. His last case had a bad ending so he quits and move to the seaside. That's where we find him. His memory comes and goes about that case as his housekeeper's son becomes his protegee. Holmes learns a lot about himself during this process and makes for a more well rounded, but different, Sherlock movie.

Mr. Holmes is a unique take on Sherlock. There may not be much excitement and this may be the slowest, most tranquil, and tame of the Sherlock cases but that’s what makes it interesting. The mystery of how this is the Sherlock Holmes we know in a way and why he is a beekeeper leads to a slow yet intriguing mystery. Those who want a straight up classic Sherlock Holmes story will be disappointed. Go in with an open-mind. From the trailers and advertisements it should be clear this isn’t going to be a traditional Sherlock story and if you go in knowing that it’ll be easier to accept this story for the brilliance and uniqueness that it is.

Simply as a film exploring an aged and regret-filled Holmes, I felt McKellen's performance was strong enough to keep me enthralled with each scene just from that perspective. Still what I found even more moving about this film is the way that it explores the elderly and the struggle therein. The structure of the film allows the viewer to slowly piece together multiple mysteries with an aged Holmes as he tries to piece together the remnants of his aged mind. As to the pacing, there is quite a bit of flavor to fill out the intentionally slow pacing of the film, with satire and some really emotional moments that kept me engaged with the film. I would not heed anyone saying the film is too slow...This is easily a film that will stick in my mind for a while and linger in my thoughts.

Revolves around the story of an aged and retired Sherlock Holmes. Starring Ian McKellen who is the perfect choice for an older portrayal of Sherlock, such a positive change in comparison the two most recent Sherlock movies (that's right I'm looking at you Robert Downey Jr.). Beautifully told story, perfect casting choice, highly recommended.

not the most exciting story and not the most complex mystery, yet this movie excels where few movies do. it is a masterpiece of storytelling. very recommended, just note you will be watching a somewhat slow paced movie. the way the story is being told makes the mystery much more intriguing. also, the actors are amazing. i love it when the protagonist actually has a narrative to continue the plot and not just having a charactars orbit around the plot (like CSI for example)

this movie is one the years best films;excellent soundtrack, Ian McKellen perfect performance , good achievement in Art Directing are this movies best points but I think this movie for Sherlock Holmes hard fans like me is the best film ever, this film showed emotions in the best form of it.I have a fantasy , I hope to Ian Mckellen wins the oscar!

an enjoyable movie to watch, mr holmes in his later years living with a maid and a her son, the movie is well made but the outcome was predictable, but the story was worth watching through to the end

I went with my whole family to see this movie, and we were expecting to see some big interesting plot for a story about the final investigation of Sherlock Holmes. Instead what we got is a movie without any rhyme or reason, with horrible characters and even worse side stories. You know a movie is bad when there is half of it you can skip and won't be missing anything because of it. I would recommend watching the 2009 movie instead of this, the difference it's like night and day. In conclusion: I felt like a 93 years old with Alzheimer / 10

My husband and I both found the English dialect very very difficult to understand and the plot (was there one??) almost impossible to follow. Only occasionally would we understand what was going on. We are frequent movie goers and enjoy classic films but this one left both of us saying this was the very worst film we've seen in years. We even fell asleep! So sad. Holmes had possibilities but they were certainly missed in this film.

We were unsure of what to expect from this film, but went on the strength of liking Ian McKellen. Graceful and meditatively slow, this film unfolds like a rare blossom. Fine acting, a deft camera and a moving story...wonderful!

Mr. Holmes is a new take on the great detective, one we haven't seen before. Ian McKellen does a stellar job playing the title character, and director Bill Condon does a very good job at coordinating the actors. The premise of the film is, Sherlock Holmes has grown old and very forgetful. He enlists in the help of a young boy to help him remember his final case. Some of the film goes a little bit slow, but the rest of the film works well. I strongly recommend checking this one out, fan of Sherlock Holmes or not. 7/10

Interesting story line along with above average acting gives this film a thumbs up. I can see the higher rating is fair. I wish you were able to use decimal points on the ratings if so I would give it a solid 7.8. Sometimes hard to tune in the British accents but since it is a BBC movie you should expect it.

Being a Holmes aficionado I was curious as to how Ian McKellen would do as the great detective, after all lately we see him portray someone flying around and throwing bridges and such at people . I was hoping that he would put an effort into playing Sherlock as Doyle would have wanted. What I got was all that and more . Ian McKellen plays an elder Sherlock after retirement and haunted by his last unresolved case and a trip to Japan after the nuclear bombs. He is hoping to find a plant that will help restore his failing mental abilities. Returning he travels to his seaside home to live out the remainder of his days to tend his bees and with the company of his house keeper and her young son. We see a different Holmes, one who shows compassion towards the young boy who helps Sherlock with his writings by reading and prodding the great detective about the story of his last case. Sir McKellen is masterful in his portrayal of Sherlock, gruff and warm all at the same time. Its sometimes hard to watch as he struggles with a failing memory, the once great mind not able to recall facts of the case or stopping in mid-sentence to stare blankly off into the past . All in all this is a very good movie for both Holmes enthusiasts or someone just looking for a really good movie.

As someone who is a GIGANTIC fan of period pieces, and someone who attended with two people who are NOT, this was an interesting visit to the cinema. And this is cinema, not just a movie. Whereas my friends found the first 1/3 of the film to be too lumbering, too much exposition, and generally, taking an inordinate SLOW pace to get to the point, I, other hand, reveled in the era, the costumes and the build up to the multifaceted mystery. The genius I find in director Bill Condon's pace is that it weaved a traditional Sherlock Holmes web. There are several stories, plots and nuances to the pace of the film. For me, if it had gone any more quickly in the first third of the film, the culmination, the answers, the revelations and the insight would have been much harder to piece together, and have left us with a lot more questions. The personal story for Mr. Holmes' aging tugs at the heart strings. Without giving anything away - the who, what, when, where and why become painfully and ruefully obvious. You feel for Mr. Holmes in a visceral way. Sir Ian McKellan is, well, Sir Ian McKellan. Giving his all to the part, BEing it instead of DOing it. You won't catch him acting here. I do question the casting of the American actress, Laura Linney. Her colloquial accent is muddy and at times fleeting - although her intrinsic vulnerability is evident. That is what Ms. Linney does best, play the vulnerable, insecure character with a rich back story. But I really didn't care about her at all until far into the film. That was not, I imagine, the writer's intention. I kept asking myself why, with all the brilliant British female actors there are today, one of them did not take on this project? I know there are a multitude of reason why any actor is cast in a role and it doesn't serve this film at all to dwell on it. To say that Milo Parker is a fresh face, at least to American audiences, and a breath of fresh air, is an understatement. He is real, real, real. You truly care about him and his relationship with Mr. Holmes. I can't give the film a 10 because to the general viewing public it will drag in the first portion of the film and may dissuade potential viewers from seeing it for that reason. BUT, that being said, I say GO! Hang in there, the rewards are sweet.

There's a good argument to be made for Metacritic to adopt the widely-accepted practice of dropping the highest and lowest score for a movie. Note that those pompous, self-aggrandizing morons at Slant did their usual hatchet job on this film and gave it their usual basement-level score. What's worse is reading their review, which not only misconstrues plot points, but throws spoiler after spoiler into the fray. In fact, this is a wonderful, dream-of-a-film in which Ian McKellen delivers an intelligent (when called for) and poignant (likewise) performance.

Holmes can not remember. He can not remember what happened thirty five years ago when he investigated his last case. Something must have caused him withdraw to the country to never take on another case again. What made him exchange the buzzing streets of London for the buzzing sounds of the bees at his rural hideout? Holmes forgot.. What does he remember? A young man and his wife, a saddened young lady. And something about dead children. But then his memories fail him. For at ninety-three the great detective is becoming senile. And Holmes has only his failing memories to supply him with the facts, for the stories that his friend Dr. Watson wrote were, to say the least, embellished. Penny dreadfuls as they were called. Gripping fantasies that sold because the boring truth did not. And Watson himself can not help him either, for he has passed away several decades ago. This then is the main story of the movie Mr Holmes, which has Ian McKellen play the great detective desperately trying to recall what happened. McKellen is known by the general public for portraying the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies(and by a smaller audience as the archvillain Magneto from the X-men movies) and he plays Holmes with great skill. There is a certain similarity between Gandalf and Holmes. Both wizened intelligent men with unique skills but also loners. There is also a great difference, or so the movie has it. For Holmes is a man of logic who has no patience for flights of fantasies and to a certain extent lacks in empathy. Unlike Gandalf, whose sees the strength of character in both Bilbo and Frodo. He has the insight that Holmes lacks and which is ultimately Holmes weakness. But even at ninety-three one can learn. The acting by McKellen is impeccable. Believable would be the word that springs to mind. But the movie as a whole isn’t. I can accept that Holmes is a man of cold logic, but the movie has to convince me that he also lacks a deeper insight into the soul of men. Or, more to the point, into the soul of a woman. And I cannot believe that the greatest detective of the world would falter here just because the movie wants me to. Like a court suit it should build that case, but the movie spends less than fifteen minutes on the crucial episode. In fact, the episode is so underdeveloped that it isn’t even clear what the young man is asking Holmes to do. Holmes takes on the case without any clear goal in mind.. Otherwise the movie digresses. There is for instance an almost superfluous trip to Japan. And just too much time is spent on Holmes’ rural life and his progressing senility. Ultimately the key relation is the one between Holmes and the young lady he investigates. And exactly this episode is so short that it is beyond belief that Holmes should have been deeply affected by the fate of this particular **** that the relation should have been developed more. The concept kill your darlings once again should have been applied and the movie should have concentrated where it mattered. Instead the movie doesn’t spend enough time where it counts and meanders.. It doesn’t help either that at times the movie jolts you out of the suspension of disbelief by showing you scenes populated with neatly dressed people, shiny brand new cars and clean streets. Impeccable in a wrong way. The ultimate jolt for me was the wing **** plane that stuck out of a patch of farmland. It was so obvious put out there that I could see the movie maker at work. Which isn’t a good thing. And then the music. Movie classical music once more. The muzak of the filming industry. Highly unoriginal, but it serves the purpose. This is the choice of the uninspired. Mr. Holmes is a nice movie and should be watched for the acting of Ian McKellen and the supporting cast. The bottomline is that the movie fails to convince because not enough attention is given to where it counts and too much where it doesn’t.

For people who like character driven stories, this is an excellent ensemble of well acting with with the audience trying to figure out the mystery to know what the characters are up to. The little kid almost steals the movie from Ian, almost. The movie made us feel like we were back on that era, so good set decoration. It made us feel like we were in England from the past. A little slow in the beginning, but then you get caught up in the character's lives. Excellent!

I first became aware of Ian McKellen as a gay activist when he publicly came out against a law in England in 1988. I was aware of his being an admired stage British actor who occasionally made films and then, after he came out, I saw him in “And The Band Played On” and “6 Degrees of Separation” but it was 17 years ago in a movie called “Gods and Monsters”, for which he won an Oscar nomination, that I was really impressed with him. The general movie going public came to know him as Gandalf in “Lord of the Rings” for which he received a second Oscar nomination. He is now regarded as one of the world’s best actors and is widely known as a role model for the gay community all over. Now, 17 years after “Gods and Monsters”, he is reunited with director Bill Condon to make “Mr. Holmes”, a story about the real Sherlock Holmes at the age of 93, retired, looking at his last case which took place 27 years earlier. McKellan, in his 70s, plays Holmes at 93, 66 and 58 believable at all stages with a lot of help from make-up artist Dave Elsey, and his crew, along with the actor‘s movements at the different ages. This Sherlock Holmes is not the Sherlock Holmes you know, telling an admirer that it was Watson who fictionalized his character, giving him a deerstalker hat which he never wore and a pipe when he preferred a cigar, giving the readers a wrong address as to where he lived though the detective did and still has that precision and deductions that solved his mysteries and solves a present day situation. He is now a beekeeper in his old age along with following the search for ‘**** ash’ to help him with his memory which is failing. Based on a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher from a book by Mitch Cullin (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who?) it revolves around Holmes, his housekeeper Mrs. Munro, played by Laura Linney, in a role she could have done in her sleep but doesn’t, and her son Roger, (Milo Parker), who lost his father at a very young age, a clever somewhat precocious 10 year old who becomes devoted to Holmes and who Holmes comes to see as a remarkable child. There is a side trip story regarding Japan and a Japanese mother and her son whose husband/father abandoned them to serve England in the war, which really doesn’t bring much to the movie. Another part of the screenplay is Holmes’s last mystery with Patrick Kennedy as Thomas Kelmot who thinks his wife Ann, played by Hattie Morahan, is cheating on him. There is also Nicholas Rowe, who plays the fictional Sherlock Holmes in a film being watched by the ‘real’ Sherlock Holmes and in a wasted role Frances de la Tour as a eccentric music teacher. Ian McKellen is a delight to watch, Laura Linney, in a dark wig, is powerful in a brief scene near the end with him and Milo Parker has chemistry with McKellen but I found myself walking up the aisle, after the credits, giving it a one word review in my mind, ‘disappointment’, which may be my fault expecting too much from another pairing of Condon and McKellen.

Amidst three periods of Sherlock Holmes' later life, Ian McKellen gives a remarkable portrayal of the titular character. With Bill Condon at the helm, the mysteries and investigations go far deeper than the surface--allowing the audience to see the man behind Holmes, something not traditional in past adaptations of him.

A clever, lavishly produced period piece with an intriguing twist on the life of the famous fictional detective. Despite some occasionally convoluted storytelling and a few pacing glitches, the film comes across as an engaging multileveled mystery, with an excellent award-worthy lead performance by Ian McKellan. Fans of Sherlock Holmes are sure to find this a fun, intriguing tale.

Ian McKellen piles on the age makeup to play Sherlock Holmes in his tentative final years, living a quiet life in the country. He tends bees, befriends the son of his housekeeper and puzzles over his final unsolved case. It starts out charmingly enough, then flashes back as he remembers clues, finally falling apart as the mystery becomes confusing and disappointing. This is one of those prestige projects (Bill Condon is director) that promises beautiful images, complex characters and rich experiences. It kinda does all that, but gets bogged down with its own importance and becomes frustratingly contrived and downright dull before it's over.

Mr. Holmes is a wonderful film, and I wish I could rate different elements of it individually. Sir Ian McKellen deserves a “10” – he was flawless, deeply moving and I guess the best word is mesmerizing. You knew exactly what Mr. Holmes was thinking and feeling every second. He lived the character, and you believed him completely. Second best was Milo Parker, who, in my opinion, was also completely believable and held your attention whenever he was on screen. He was a great foil and friend for McKellen/Holmes. I was going to say that I was not impressed with Bill Condon’s direction or with the script, but perhaps that’s too harsh – the director and writer were smart enough to get out of the way of the actors. Perhaps my problem is that when I saw the film I was about two-thirds through the original book, which is very interesting and very different in approach from the film, so much so that I think translating the ideas of the book to the screen was very difficult, but the author and screenwriter were successful in doing it. I would give them an “8”. If you are a thoughtful person or someone who loves cinema, this film is more than worth your time.

I went to see this film with mixed and nervous ideas. Mostly because I have seen many many bad movies based on my favorite books. Yet to my surprise I found a well written and well acted film with a minimal cast. Most of the movie is around and old Sherlock and the housekeepers son. The movie takes it time to tell its story yet it never feels like it is dragging along. It is a little confusing at times yet hat is because you are dealing with the story tellers own confusion so it did a great job in conveying that. I would Highly recomend this film to anyone who loves just a good story that will drag you in.

Sir Ian McKellen plays Sherlock Holmes in his twilight years, retired to the country to tend his bees, but plagued by his last case that he never solved. A quiet and deliberately paced film, Mr Holmes is more about ageing and how our past defines us as people than it is about the famous detective. For those now hooked on Cumberbatch or Downey Jr as the sleuth this may be way too slow and mannered, for those in search of something a little deeper its worth searching out