Mr. Holmes has to solve one final case.
“Mr. Holmes” does everything I love in a movie about this kind of subject matter. Ian McKellan plays a 93 year old Sherlock Holmes in mental and physical decline. Shortly after World War II, he’s cared for by a live-in nurse and her son, as Holmes tries to remember the details of his last case. The nurse’s son jogs his memory about certain cases, but he reveals that most of the novels were imaginary stories. However, the people were quite real.
Remembering all those that he lost and regaling with true stories of a past that is slipping out of his mind, McKellan makes Holmes scarily human. If you want Cumberbatch or Miller’s tale on Holmes, then this isn’t for you. Ian McKellan deserves an Oscar nomination for playing a Sherlock Holmes that could easily be dying in a nursing home near your house. Borrowing narrative devices from The Princess Bride and playing the action broad for a PG rating, this film does something I wish more modern releases would attempt. “Mr. Holmes” is a serious, but fun adult film that is open to all audiences.
The Blu-Ray comes with two featurettes as the special features. Rupert Pupkin Speaks and the digital crowd will be glad to hear that it comes with a Digital HD copy. The A/V Quality is stellar for a drama of its sort. The 1080p transfer pops where it can and the DTS-HD 5.1 track uses all audio channels. In the end, this is a highly recommended purchase. You should pick it up and look smart before it racks in a few Oscar nominations.
RELEASE DATE: 11/10/2015
