Enola Holmes

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is a charming fresh take on the Holmes mythos while also highlighting the extraordinary talent of the upcoming Millie Bobby Brown. I would give Enola Holmes a 7/10.

Enola Holmes follows the teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes as she investigates the sudden disappearance of her mother and becomes embroiled in a mystery around the attempted murder of a young lord. This film works so well in no small part because of the leading protagonist, spending time with her as an audience feels fun and immensely intriguing. Enola is this really varied role; she displays a keen intellect and capacity for solving while also this wild and capable ability to defend herself in perilous situations. The choice to have Enola play straight to camera in a bid to break the fourth wall is a risky move that plays off exceptionally, as an audience member you feel more connected to the story and the character's way of thinking. Seeing Enola navigate the patriarchal oversight of Mycroft and the awkward bond she shares with Sherlock is another strength of the film. In truth this film is founded on its ability to craft character and relationships, seeing these explored is in some ways more fascinating than the two investigation threads going on throughout the film. Though being a part of an investigative adventure packed with fun twists, turns and action sequences is a lot of fun as well. The cinematography for this film is seriously creative, using elaborate framing and creative tracking shots and zooms to highlight the quirky nature of the feature. The score for Enola Holmes grounds you in both the time period and also the more light-hearted adventure at play, fights and dramatic moments are highlighted by strong orchestral pieces that really befit this thrilling film.

Henry Cavill, who played Sherlock Holmes, is simply fantastic as this more nuanced take on the infamous super sleuth; Cavill's ability to show Sherlock awkwardly handling his bond with his younger sister is one of the more charming aspects of the film. Sam Claflin, who played Mycroft Holmes, has to be one of the most reprehensible takes on Mycroft that I've seen and it was done brilliantly; Calflin has this arrogant gravitas to him and dark condescending demeanour towards his onscreen sister that makes him a character you will love to hate. Helena Bonham Carter, who played Mrs Holmes, might not be in the film much but brings out a lot of whimsical fun and charm in her early scenes with Brown; yet the strength of this performance is the love and connection we see between this pair right up until their very last scene together. Fiona Shaw, who played Miss Harrison, is a stern dominating figure throughout the film who serves as a nice minor antagonist for Enola; Shaw has this ability to play a mean role through an exterior that can be sickly sweet which set her as a cut above. Frances de la Tour, who played The Dowager, makes for a really nice complex antagonist for this piece; de la Tour seems to almost look fondly upon her country and her family's place within it while also acting in a way that is malicious and dark.

However, the best performance came from Millie Bobby Brown, who played Enola Holmes. Over the course of recent years Brown has emerged as a strong up and coming actress with a capacity for range, so it's only natural a character as complex as Enola was going to be her next step. This role is a lot of fun to watch, she has high energy in most scenes and constant process of thought that makes her very engaging to watch. Enola Holmes has all the deductive powers we've seen from Sherlock over the years but with a lot more forethought towards helping others and doing the right thing. Brown really pours a lot of herself into the role's relationship with her mother and the confusion and pain around being abandoned by her; this drives the role and admittedly strengthens her as she develops over the course of the film. I thought this character portrayal was excellent and it might just be my favourite performance from Millie Bobby Brown yet.

This film did have a few narrative problems, the chief of which was the two parallel main storylines. Throughout the film Enola is engaged in two mysteries, the disappearance of her mother and the attempted assassination of Lord Tewksbury. The problem with these stories is that, while on their own they function as interesting storylines, they don't actually blend together nicely at all. Often when one story advances, the other one is put on pause for a lengthy period of time causing some jarring interruption and pacing problems. The film often drags out and feels longer than it needs to because it has an unsteady flow and doesn't always prioritise the right narrative moments. Enola Holmes is also plagued with some poor storytelling elements, like faking out a character death on multiple occasions, that undercuts the audience's ability to buy into the emotion of a scene. The editing for this film is weirdly paced and the various animations and title cards are yet another element that creates a poor flow to the overall storytelling.

Adeel Akhtar, who played Lestrade, is far too much of a comical character to fit well into his police inspector role; Akhtar seems at a loss when his role needs to be stoic and almost scrabbles to find the humour in a scene. Louis Partridge, who played Lord Tewksbury, spends a lot of the film playing up the foppishness of his character and generally trying to play towards the romance angles of his relationship with Enola; yet you never really feel the connection between these two and Partridge's lack of ability to play to a more sophisticated role is a big part of that. Susan Wokoma, who played Edith, is not very believable as this secret judo instructor for women; Wokoma plays to a sharp figure but never really feels defined as a character.