Title – Enola Holmes (2020)

Director – Harry Bradbeer (feature debut)

Cast – Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Partridge

Plot – When her mother disappears, Enola Holmes (Brown), the younger sister of the renowned Sherlock, (Cavill) must venture into the great big world to try and uncover the reasonings behind her mother’s sudden disappearance.

“Sometimes you must dangle your feet in the water in order to attract the sharks”

Review by Eddie on 25/09/2020

If there was one thing the cinematic universe probably didn’t need it was yet another iteration of the Sherlock Holmes universe but proving once more Hollywood the film world in general seems to be content resurrecting and re-imaging properties until they are no longer filled with any life left in them, along comes Enola Holmes.

A Netflix original that see’s Stranger Things superstar Millie Bobby Brown take on her biggest role yet outside of the smash-hit TV series in Harry Bradbeer’s feature debut adaptation of Nancy Springer’s family friendly novels, Enola Holmes is a well-shot and performed tale and is sure to find its fair share of young fans but there’s a heart and soul lacking here as well as the spectacle that more recent Sherlock oriented tales such as the well-liked Benedict Cumberbatch starring series and Robert Downey Jr. films had in spades.

Making Henry Cavill’s Sherlock a mere side player to Brown’s sister of Sherlock Enola’s adventures and investigation into the disappearance of their mother that turns into a cat and mouse game involving Louis Partridge’s well-off teenager Tewkesbury, Enola Holmes rockets along at a rollicking pace and provides some great English period scenery and sights but despite Brown’s charismatic turn (proving that Stranger Things is far from a fluke), there’s a sense of a film here just going through the motions on its quest to create a new Netflix feature film series and attract Brown’s growing fanbase into this world.

With her often speaking directly to the audience and with an audacity but vulnerability that makes her ever so human despite her smarts and gifts, Enola is a likable creation and suits Brown perfectly but Enola is stuck in a rather ho-hum story that wanes far more often than it flies and its a shame the film didn’t manage to find a suitably fantastic story to have its star and lead character act in.

There’s also a strong sense that Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria Holmes and Sam Claflin as the grumpy and moody Mycroft Holmes are all mostly wasted in the narrative. With little to do the well-liked and talented performers provide a welcome presence to the film but don’t provide much of any substance, perhaps it would’ve been wise for the film to allow Brown and Cavill in particular more time together in the narrative as you can sense the relationship between these two talented siblings could’ve provided a real spark to the films mediocre story.

Final Say – 

A family film that does what it promises to do but in a mostly uninspired fashion, Enola Holmes is a great showcase for Millie Bobby Brown but this new take on the Holmes name will need a far more memorable outing next time around if its to become a long lasting addition to the brand.

2 1/2 suitcases out of 5