Film
Time has passed, and super sleuth Sherlock Holmes is now retired. Suffering from early dementia, he now finds himself trying to recall his final case, and the mysterious woman who haunts his thoughts. Are these related, and can he solve this mystery before time finally runs out?
Now living out in the country, Mr. Holmes befriends the young son of his housekeeper, sharing case files and stories with the boy. It is not long before the boy (Roger, played by up and coming talent Milo Parker) urges the detective to solve this final mystery.
Mr. Holmes plays out two stories, running in parrallel, yet juxtaposed. We see the ailing Holmes in his later years, a far cry from the once great and world renowned sleuth. And a view into the past, where we see him at his prime; quick thinking, wise and full of success.
The storyline covering the older Holmes plays out as a sort of introspective, as our hero laments his past and the one case that tripped him up. He examines life and passes these lessons on the young Roger, seeing the enthusiasm of youth in the boy, and perhaps a way to pass on his legacy to the world.
Seeing this great character that we all know so well, in just a sore and sad state, is quite disheartening. It bids on to look at ones own life, and ponder the thought “would we have one nagging question still remaining, at the end of our journey in life?”.
On the other story thread, we see the man so many aspire to be, in control of his own destiny, and respected the world over.
With these two opposing views of a man’s life, Mr. Holmes makes for rather interesting viewing. A plot that is not overshadowed by unnecessary complexities, yet keeps one riveted until the very end. This, of course made all the more enjoyable by the talented cast, and excellent settings of the film.
A mystery from a by gone error, brought to life and championed by one of the best detective characters ever. Mr. Holmes is certainly one that will, without a doubt, be enjoyed by all.
Disc And Bonus Features
Mr. Holmes is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.
Video
Video is encoded at a high average bitrate. There are no visible artefacts on screen, and viewers with the appropriate hardware or software can scale up to a higher resolution or screen size, if desired.
Colours are vibrant (especially when in some of the locations where there is a lot of grass and plant life).
Audio
Audio is presented in a 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, and while this does expand the onscreen environment and further draw the viewer into the story, the nature of the story does not lend itself to much use of the surround channels.
Navigation
The menu is static, and simple, yet easy to use. Text is clear and easy to read.
Bonus
There are unfortunately no bonus features on the disc, apart from a few trailers at the beginning for upcoming disc releases.
