Ian McKellen piles on the age makeup to play Sherlock Holmes in his tentative final years, living a quiet life in the country. He tends bees, befriends the son of his housekeeper and puzzles over his final unsolved case. It starts out charmingly enough, then flashes back as he remembers clues, finally falling apart as the mystery becomes confusing and disappointing. This is one of those prestige projects (Bill Condon is director) that promises beautiful images, complex characters and rich experiences. It kinda does all that, but gets bogged down with its own importance and becomes frustratingly contrived and downright dull before it’s over.
(2.5 / 5)