Enola Holmes Review

September 26, 2020 at 2:21am
By Jason Stettner

Enola Holmes is a Netflix Original film that provides a fresh spin on the whole Sherlock Holmes story. This narrative is based around the teen sister of the Holmes brothers, Enola (Millie Bobby Brown). She’s quirky, has been brought up in a weird way and is totally ready to do whatever it takes to find her mother.

It’s an interesting tale, and one of those that really focuses on the adventure instead of being anything too deep. I can see it being a fun journey for the younger ones, yet I was just not entirely on board with it. I liked the premise, but it was a tad too cheesy for me. There were tons of breaking the fourth wall moments. I typically like this sort of thing, but it just felt off here. A bit too in your face. I also found this tonally all over the place.

There’s this really dark back story sort of thing going on at the same time, and during action scenes it gets really murdery. Nothing like a young girl taking on an adult in a dangerous fight to the death in a largely happy, easy going time until then. Those are just some examples. Still, it’s a fun time I imagine for most.

Fairly light in terms of the material it covers, but it does have some fun with the whole mystery solving side of things. I thought that was really on brand with the legacy of the series, and they have some neat takes. I would have liked Mycroft to be less of an antagonist since he was one note, and to have more of Sherlock (Henry Cavill) as he was excellent here. Still, it comes together in a decent way that wasn’t too hard to deal with just at the same time nothing too wildly enticing to me.

I did find the pacing to be a bit off. This felt like a rather long film that could have been shorter in some areas. This was particularly present towards the ending, where it seemed to stretch far on past its main conclusive point.

It was almost unnecessary; and mostly there to serve as a, we didn’t forget about this character sort of thing. I did find the acting to be solid throughout, with good performances from the core cast. I would actually like to see these characters developed on further.

I think Cavill would make an excellent Sherlock in a standalone venture, lots of charm there. This was also decently well shot, nothing really stood out as particularly delightful to me. At the same time, this nailed the era from the costumes to the general aesthetic. It really matched the times well.

The Conclusion

Enola Holmes is a fun, easy going and quirky take on the character that doesn’t necessarily provide anything too thrilling. It’s very light on content, while basically getting the essentials of a Sherlock Holmes story right. It was fairly long and felt like it dragged at points. I didn’t really care much for the whole super cheesy angle, but that might make it more fun for the younger audience out there.

I think it’s definitely an alright watch. I wouldn’t dive in again, but I can see some finding this to be somewhat entertaining. It has its moments, and it’s neat characters. The ending sort of falls apart, but I think if they were to continue with this that they could really compile quite an adventurous time with future installments that build upon this universe.

Enola Holmes Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Content Access was Provided by Netflix

Rating Overall: 5.2