Review: McKellen gives best performance of 2015 as an aging ‘Mr. Holmes’

Posted on September 4, 2015

By MARK VIOLA

With Sherlock Holmes near the top of the current pop culture pyramid, I’m surprised we haven’t seen him investigate a zombie outbreak yet. Give it time, I’m sure.

Jokes aside, the multitude variations on the character can leave one to wonder just where they can go next. Fortunately for us, the latest version of Sherlock Holmes arrives via the excellent Ian McKellen (“The Lord of the Rings”) in “Mr. Holmes,” directed by Bill Condon (“Dreamgirls,” “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn”).

Featuring an aging Holmes struggling desperately to remember the facts of his last case, “Mr. Holmes” in an introspective look at one of literature’s most famous characters from a unique and fascinating angle. With a quiet hand in the director’s chair and an award-worthy performance from McKellen, this is a diamond among the mostly louder, lesser fodder in theaters right now.

(This is a shortened version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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