There have been many, many, MANY adaptations of this Conan Doyle masterpiece into movie and TV series over the past century. My favorite to this day still remains the TV series in the 80's with Jeremy Brett playing the part. If any of you have seen the said TV series, you would agree that he basically ruined a possibility of finding a better Holmes. That may have been part of the reason why we didn't see an adaptation for the next 15-20 years, when the producers realized that it is not possible to replicate what Brett had created, yet the book was such a great resource not to tap into. So, what they came up with was a modern Holmes, what he would've been if he lived in this day and technology. It owes its great success to Benedict Cumberbatch, in my opinion. Seriously, what would have we done if we didn't have British actors/actresses? If I'm not credible enough for you, I remember reading that Roman Polanski had claimed the same thing when making Oliver Twist. So, there you have it!
This most recent adaptation of Holmes, also, owes a great deal to Ian McKellen. For many of us (me!) he will always be Gandalf. If you get past the sad feeling that you get by seeing how old he's gotten in this movie, you would enjoy a masterful acting class! Every little detail, every sound, every gasp, every eye movement, you could see that they were all not delightful coincidences but displays of more than 60 years of acting experience. The other acting I would mention is Laura Linney, who is always a delight to watch on the screen. Aside from, You can Count on Me, every movie I have seen since of her has had her as a supporting actress, what I believe is what she is made for (not at all meaning that her work is any less important than a leading actress).
This adaptation goes past World War II, in almost a spin-off the original book. Showing Holmes as a "real" person, very different than what John Watson had created! I know it's a little confusing to wrap your head around. In a nutshell, it was fiction in a fiction. Anyway, we see Holmes as a very senile detective, who has lost all his friends (that being only Watson and Mrs. Hudson!), and is struggling in his last days with amnesia. He is trying to remember the last case he had, 30 years prior to when the story was taking place, to put truth to what Watson had created of that case, ending in a heart-breaking revelation, ending the 30-year struggle he had had to forget that case!
I don't have much to say about this movie. I walked in, expecting a detective, suspense/thriller type movie based on my knowledge of Holmes but I was faced with a small, very well-made, English-humor movie with excellent acting. I guess anyone who values the importance of the make of a movie, no matter how trivial the story, would appreciate watching it.
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