‘Enola Holmes’ is an adventurous mystery film worth your time

Under fair use from Netflix

“Sherlock Holmes” is a staple among literature. Written by the famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1892, it became very famous throughout the years and brought a new name for detective-storytelling novels. So, it was definitely a surprise to see a spin-off movie on that series currently on Netflix. Let’s dive into the world of  “Enola Holmes.”

Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) and her mother, Eudoria Holmes (Helena Bonham Carter), did everything together. So, her childhood was packed with adventure, but all that adventure was stopped when her mother disappeared on her 16th birthday. 

Due to this sudden disappearance, Enola’s brothers, Mycroft  (Sam Claflin) and the famous Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) come home. Mycroft tries to control the situation and decides to send Enola to an all-girls finishing school, even though she strongly fights going. 

Sherlock tries to use his famous deduction skills to find their mother, but ultimately, Enola decides to take matters into her own hands as she tries to solve the mystery of her mother’s sudden disappearance by herself. 

With her detective DNA, Enola chases after the mystery of her missing mother across 19th century London, and along the way, she encounters a young lord named Tewksbury (Louis Partridge) seeking freedom and a bloodthirsty assassin searching for him.

Mystery-wise, this movie was spectacular, as it should be. The plot was simple, but many other things were built on top of it. This movie was mainly about Enola finding her mother but was still able to trace the story of Tewsbury, which made the movie much more interesting because she was able to simultaneously solve another mystery. 

The film champions women’s empowerment and following one’s dreams. Eudoria, one female character, for example, stood with such strength and intelligence and didn’t want to give in to the social norms. Edith (Susie Wokoma), Eudoria’s friend, had the same stance. She ran a cafe where she was also secretly training women to fight. There was a scene where Eudoria, Edith, and more women were planning something that was implied to be a revolution; just that scene alone reinforced women empowerment. It gave this movie more depth and really illustrated that this movie isn’t your typical mystery. 

The characters overall were very likable. Enola had to have been the most admirable character. She was such a playful but stubborn character and didn’t want anyone to change her, especially Mycroft. As for Sherlock, his character was pretty mysterious but gradually revealed. However, there could have been more of him. I’m aware that the movie is about Enola, but Sherlock plays a pretty big role in her character development. More backstory or insight to his motives would have added a more context and depth to the story. Besides that, he was a compelling character. Mycroft, being one of the antagonists, played his part well in the story and his character, in general, was pretty well written. Overall, the characters were just fun to watch. 

Now for the cons of this movie: the pacing was a bit too fast, and the ending wasn’t strong enough. Everything happened so quickly that after the movie is over you might ask yourself, “Is this really the end?”

 It was almost anticlimactic and just didn’t do it for me. While there were only two main plots, more subplots would have really reinforced the adventure aspects of the film. There were a good amount of characters that I wanted a little more backstory from like Sherlock, Eudoria, Edith, and even Mycroft, but never got–which makes me think… there’s more to come. The ending definitely leaves room for a sequel. 

Finally, the cinematography. The director’s most unique choice was the use of dramatic asides. Every time Enola spoke to the audience, it felt like you were included in this whole journey. The film is much more absorbing and interactive, making this film unique. 

“Enola Holmes” is definitely worth watching. With a mix of humor and actions, you can’t go wrong with this film. I would rate this film a 3.5/5 and recommend this to people that need a little adventure in these boring times.

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