“Enola Holmes” Review: A flawed yet charming reawakening of a franchise needy of new life.
By Quinn Marcus
(2020)
Genre: Adventure, Mystery
Age: 12+
73/100: Sweet/Sour
“There are two paths you can take Enola, yours, or the path others choose for you.” Enola Holmes was written by Jack Thorne and was directed by Harry Bradbeer. It is also based upon the novel by Nancy Springer. Young Enola Holmes spends her carefree days living alone with her mother, doing whatever they like. From tennis in the living room to jiu-jitsu in the garden. However, this all changes when Enola wakes up one morning to find that her mother is missing. Luckily, she happens to be related to the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Both her brothers arrive to investigate their mother’s disappearance. Enola takes matters into her own hands when she discovers that her other brother Mycroft intends to send her to finishing school. Thus, she travels to London, in hopes of unfolding the mystery that is her mother. Ah, mystery, what thrilling tales you have brought us. From Knives Out to Murder on the Orient Express (the original, of course). It seems that you can (almost) never disappoint. Enola Holmes is another shining example of how the mystery genre should be handled, and yet not all is perfect on Baker Street. Picture this: you’re waiting for a new type of cheese to come out. It promises to be the most excellent, the most scrumptious cheese anyone in the world has ever tasted. You quite nearly kick down the restaurant’s door in anticipation. Seated at a nearby table, someone has been given the cheese and is enjoying it immensely. Before your waiter leaves, you give him a snazzy one-liner, ‘I’ll have what he’s having.’ Ten painful minutes later, you jump up and down with joy as you are being served the very dish you have been waiting days, weeks, months, years for! You take a nibble, wishing to enjoy every bite. Your eyes go wide, ‘It’s just plain cheese’ you exclaim in anger. The staff makes their best attempts to calm you down, but before you know it, you’re on the run for a serious case of arson. Of course, this has never happened to me ‘cough cough,’ anyways, time to continue. You’re probably wondering why I chose this specific analogy. To be honest, I’m not so sure either. The point I was trying to make was that Enola Holmes is nothing special. However, it just may be the breath of fresh air Sherlock fans have been searching for. The arson part is a story for another time, and by another time I mean, never. What were my flaws?
The plot’s predictability. Despite it’s enjoyable, exhilarating atmosphere, Enola Holmes suffers from a disappointing lack of true mystery. Very few twists and turns were provided ultimately leading up to a convenient conclusion. In the process of filtering out the gritty bite of previous adaptations (for obvious reasons), it accidentally managed to wipe out some of what made the classic books so engaging. After all, Holmes spelled backward is ‘mystery’ so... when you have the name, you’ve got to use it properly. I will admit, the story is a significant upgrade over the disastrous A Game of Shadows, I gagged just typing out that name. Let’s go back to the grit point that I made. Although many recent adaptations have proven to be insufficient to my mystery needs, they at least had darkness. Enola Holmes is lighthearted and happy to the point of punishment. There’s absolutely no tension or spirit battling against the powerful light of the film. It’s shoving cotton candy into your mouth without the savory dish to balance things out.
I wanted to love this film, and it ended up not quite how I pictured, but I do have a set of positives keeping it afloat. The cinematography. Surprisingly, the camerawork stood out for me, it was colorful, relaxing, and showcased Giles Nuttgens’ clear eye for art. The musical score. Another big hit in my positives section, the soundtrack was acceptably upbeat, hopeful, and exciting. Clearly reflecting on the film’s awesome characters, Daniel Pemberton crafted a unique musical addition to the Holmes playlist. Harry Bradbeer’s fantastic directing will not be snubbed aside on my account. Although not completely flawless, Bradbeer has swept up the ashes of a nearly hopeless franchise. From that, he has built a potentially groundbreaking new start, so close to taking flight. What about the screenplay? Occasionally quite funny, and at times even inspiring, I found the script to do what many fail to do nowadays, stand out in the crowd. With an abundant set of well-done characters, many of which exhibiting solid development throughout, it seems this beloved story has a new Holmes, and her name is Alone… I mean Enola.
Everybody populating the cast seemed to bring their A-game and some awesome fighting choreography to the table. Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) has brought her talent and charisma to her first lead role, the result is what anyone would expect and more. Carrying out some hysterical breaking the fourth wall dialogue as well as great chemistry with the rest of the cast. Bobby Brown has proven to be more than up to the challenge of portraying our generation’s next great detective. Louis Partridge (Paddington 2) has officially had his breakout role, playing the kind and slightly pathetic Tewkesbury (try saying that 10 times fast). Partridge was expertly paired with Millie Bobby Brown, providing a romance for tweens and teens to root for all they want, as well as giving himself a bright future as a young star. Superman, and now Sherlock Holmes, what can’t Henry Cavill pull off? (Besides the infamous ‘Josstice League’) Unexpectedly bringing a satisfyingly refreshing take on the complicated role, Cavill shows off a distinct new vision for a small yet intriguing spin on one of my favorite characters. Petition for a spinoff series, please?
There is some action including explosions, hand-to-hand combat, Enola is almost drowned, stabbed, shot, geez, how much can a person take. Not much language, occasional uses of ‘hell’, and ‘dear god.’ There are some profound feminist messages in the film. Enola can look out for herself, but also learns to care for others. At the time the film is set, Enola proves that women can be as intelligent and crafty as men, as well as being able to set her own course in life. Her character is a brilliant role model for young girls who wish to have a life of independence and freedom to aspire to be whatever they want. Enola Holmes is a must-watch for adventure lovers everywhere who can expect to find a film that’s easy to like and feel for.