On paper, this was probably one of the coolest concepts ever. What if Sherlock Holmes, a man so brilliant in dissecting every nuance of life as to analyze them to a fault, starts having dementia. BUT, he still has to solve a case.
Well, those are two very incongruous things that never manifest in this movie.
Sir Ian McKellen plays the part very well, but the story structure itself seems...laxed. It's understandable considering how understated director Bill Condon and Ian McKellen are together. "Gods & Monsters" wasn't exactly a roller coaster ride. You get the same here.
Mr. Holmes is quietly living out his life on his estate while entertaining a young boy who is the son of his housekeeper. They bond over beekeeping. The boy is fixated on Holmes's mythical mind. But it is waning. And that is the basis of the tale which doesn't seem to be interesting. Because he is also trying to piece together a mystery he'd kind of solved. Or regaining his humanity (murder and suspicion have a way of robbing you of faith in humanity). Yes, this movie attempts to tackle too many things. And doesn't spend enough time to feel the full weight of who he was. Not to mention, he dogs on Watson, who, in this movie, made himself and Holmes famous through books. Holmes spends most of his time downplaying his accomplishments from the books. It's a slow moving flick that deserved maybe a bigger sense of adventure. Especially if you just come off rousing flicks as "Young Sherlock Holmes" This one may depress you.
Well, those are two very incongruous things that never manifest in this movie.
Sir Ian McKellen plays the part very well, but the story structure itself seems...laxed. It's understandable considering how understated director Bill Condon and Ian McKellen are together. "Gods & Monsters" wasn't exactly a roller coaster ride. You get the same here.
Mr. Holmes is quietly living out his life on his estate while entertaining a young boy who is the son of his housekeeper. They bond over beekeeping. The boy is fixated on Holmes's mythical mind. But it is waning. And that is the basis of the tale which doesn't seem to be interesting. Because he is also trying to piece together a mystery he'd kind of solved. Or regaining his humanity (murder and suspicion have a way of robbing you of faith in humanity). Yes, this movie attempts to tackle too many things. And doesn't spend enough time to feel the full weight of who he was. Not to mention, he dogs on Watson, who, in this movie, made himself and Holmes famous through books. Holmes spends most of his time downplaying his accomplishments from the books. It's a slow moving flick that deserved maybe a bigger sense of adventure. Especially if you just come off rousing flicks as "Young Sherlock Holmes" This one may depress you.