67
Metascore
35 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80VarietyScott FoundasVarietyScott FoundasThe more vital subject of Mr. Holmes turns out to be our need for stories themselves and, in particular, the role of fiction as an escape from the pain and loss of everyday life.
- 80Total FilmPaul BradshawTotal FilmPaul BradshawAnyone expecting opera and opium will be disappointed. But a majestic McKellen rescues a safe script, giving us a fresh look at an icon even the most casual viewer will be (over)familar with.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThis is a ruminative film of minor-key rewards, driven by an impeccably nuanced performance from McKellen as a solitary 93-year-old man enfeebled by age, yet still canny and even compassionate in ways that surprise and comfort him.
- 70The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneIn truth, Mr. Holmes is not Holmesian at all. It is Jamesian, as shown by a wonderful encounter between Kelmot and Holmes — an attraction of opposites, you might say — on a garden bench.
- 60The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawIt is an elegant if slight piece of work, touching and intriguing by turns, but hampered structurally in that it relies on two separate flashback sections.
- 60Time Out LondonCath ClarkeTime Out LondonCath ClarkeSir Ian McKellen is a pleasure to watch as an elderly Sherlock Holmes, though the drama isn't as compelling as it might have been.
- 38Slant MagazineChris CabinSlant MagazineChris CabinBill Condon ignores the delights and hardships of becoming an artist in lieu of simply presenting the long-touted liberating effects of art.