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Enola Holmes dropped on Netflix on September 23rd, and what promised to be a cheeky, quirky movie full of adventure, mystery, and shenanigans delivered on all accounts. The film follows sixteen-year-old amateur detective Enola Holmes, sister to Sherlock, as she searches for her mother who has mysteriously disappeared. Aided by various enigmatic characters and opposed by others, Enola embarks on a journey in search of her mother, but finds her own footing in the world along the way and runs into another mystery or two. This clever, charming film is enjoyable and plays to all ages. The plot is compelling and the characters entertaining, while the bright colors, costumes, and setting are appealing to the eyes. Enola Holmes is fun and lighthearted, yet still holds high stakes for its main characters, both emotionally and physically. The film will certainly never be a critical darling, but certainly is a movie you should microwave popcorn and curl up in your bed late at night in the dorm for.
Millie Bobby Brown, who has reached stardom far beyond her most well known role as Eleven in Stranger Things, is wonderful as the titular Enola. She yet again captivates on screen; the actress’s charm and wit are as apparent as the character she portrays. Enola is a bold, brash, rational heroine, who takes after her famous brother in her skills of deduction and logic. Never for a second does the audience believe she is any less than a Holmes, thanks to Brown’s portrayal. Her screen partner Louis Partridge proves to be a formidable match for Brown’s talents in the role of Lord Tewkesbury, son of a murdered lord set to inherit the title, seat, and land of his father, and continuous foil of Enola both in plot and romance. After a performance like this from Partridge, it would not be surprising to see more leading roles from him in the near future. He imbues Tewkesbury with a genuineness that adds extra layers to the character and leaves the audience as emotionally involved with him as Enola.
The two precocious teenagers delight as the leads; with such commanding performances there is not much room left for A-list stars including Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes, Sam Claflin as Mycroft, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Holmes’ mother. While Cavill brings a certain kindness to Sherlock which has been lacking in other portrayals of the character, there is unfortunately nothing truly new or exciting about this take on Conan’s oft depicted detective. Claflin’s Mycroft is cruel and frightening, which is an interesting turn for the actor who has typically been seen in leading roles of charming or sweet protagonists. He succeeds in creating a character who is disliked by both Enola and the audience, yet one is never drawn to the Sherlock Holmes mythos for the stuck up older brother. Bonham Carter is barely in the movie, and although she is as delightful as we expect her to be on screen, her absence isn’t much felt when she isn’t there. Enola Holmes (both the movie and the character) only needs her as an instigating factor for larger developments. Susan Wokoma and Adeel Akhtar are underutilized in their roles as Edith and Lestrade respectively and their talent deserved more from the script than the screen time they were given, which is troubling to see as they were the only people of color in significant roles in the film; both the actors and the characters they portray would have benefitted from more screen time. Ultimately, there is not too much done to develop characters outside of Enola and Tewkesbury, but the caliber of this movie doesn’t necessarily call for much more; these two characters are given the central arcs which the audience is made to feel the most invested in.
Netflix’s Enola Holmes is adapted from a book series of the same title, but the story would work on its own without the famous detective working to bolster Enola’s appeal. The film would have worked as a standalone mystery of a young girl in search of her mother as the plot doesn’t rely too heavily on Sherlock or Mycroft; not to mention, the famous name feels slightly unnecessary. While it does add an interesting element to have Enola be the youngest Holmes sibling, the film would not need the name to succeed, which speaks to the strengths of the movie in general. If the last name draws people in, they will stay for the strong performances and adventure of it all. Because there are many books in Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes series, it is quite possible that we could see more Enola Holmes movies in the future as this movie has been well received. Hopefully future installments in the series will live up to the first, and I expect with the starpower Netflix is working with, this will be the case.
