Enola Holmes Review: A Heartwarming Fun-filled Adventure!

Enola Holmes, the Netflix film starring Millie Bobby Brown in the titular role, is based on the book series of the same name by Nancy Springer and is a spin-off of sorts from the Sherlock Holmes lore. The movie also stars Henry Cavil playing the role of Sherlock and Sam Claflin playing the older brother, Mycroft Holmes, with Harry Bradbeer (known for his stellar directorial work in Fleabag and Killing Eve) in the filmmaker’s chair.

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Set in the 1880s, Enola Holmes opens with the lead character’s vibrant childhood and her mother, Eudoria Holmes, homeschooling and training her in quite a few combat sports until she turns sixteen. As the mother and daughter duo share a lovable relationship, in the fulness of time, Eudoria disappears, leaving Enola with some money and a few cryptic clues about her possible whereabouts. Subsequently, as her brothers attempt to handle the situation, Enola sets on a quest to find her missing mother and steps out of her comfort zone for the first time in her life.

Within its 123-minute runtime, Enola Holmes, the film, serves more as an introduction to the lead characters and blends together a good variety of genres from coming-of-age to an action-comedy and a rather sweet and brief romantic drama. Beginning with the coming-of-age part of the story, the movie primarily focuses on the character of Enola. And her attempt to discover her calling with the added pressure from her elder brothers who rigorously try to make her fit in the ordinary society and focus on being a nice “young lady.”

At the same time, with a handful of distractions, that includes finding her mother’s whereabouts, the film also details more on the intellectual side of Enola Holmes from the beginning to the end. And that involves explaining how she tries to defy the societal norms, especially for a woman living in the Victorian era by not being a doltish housewife but rather an intelligent young woman who has some character, individuality, and wit.

Furthermore, the concise and blooming relationship that she shares with Louis Partridge’s character adds some much-needed emotion and makes the narrative navigate through properly. Although the film does not allow much time on the mystery-solving side of things, the humorous dialogue and the addition of the whole drama surrounding the Reform Act in 1884 kept things engaging inside and out. Speaking of the engagement factor, the pacing of the film is also decent, and screenwriter Jack Thorne made sure that his narrative doesn’t get hampered with a monotonous vibe.

As far as the performances go, Millie Bobby Brown leads the movie with ease and plays her role of Enola Holmes splendidly. The unfledged look and the innocent-yet-adventurous vibe she carried flawlessly fitted her teenage character well as she is a delight to watch on-screen. Henry Cavill as Sherlock, the most acclaimed investigator in town, makes a splendid impression in every single scene he appears, with his alluring charisma. Moreover, the chemistry and the emotional connection that he shared with his little sister was endearing to watch.

Sam Claflin and Helena Bonham Carter also shine bright with their stellar performances with Mycroft as the over-protective, stringent big brother and Eudoria as the maverick, free-spirited mother, who has her own set of rules and issues that are much bigger than her personal life. Moving on, the production and the costume design replicated the ambiance of the late 1800s London immaculately alongside the upbeat background score, which I feel fits perfectly in the Holmes family fable.

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Overall, Enola Holmes is a vibrant, happy, and a heartwarming fun-filled adventure that functions more as an introduction to the lead character. It still maintains that quick-wit, blistering scenes, and the mystery element that we usually see in a Sherlock Holmes film. However, it also adds a good amount of depth to the overall narrative as it does not come off as an ordinary whodunnit thriller. The scope of creating a franchise around Enola is open judging by the way the film ended, and I would personally like to see where the narrative goes from here. Watch ‘Enola Holmes’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Netflix