Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this movie review. Please read with caution.

On October 20, 2020, I watched Enola Holmes on Netflix. Starring Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things, this amazing movie has little to no resemblance to other Sherlock Holmes stories other than the family name. It’s very smart for attempting to be its own thing and allowing Millie Bobby Brown to run the show—even if the plot got somewhat convoluted as a result of this wonky character-driven approach. Enola Holmes also constantly broke the fourth wall—talking and giggling exposition with us the whole movie—which could potentially be an annoying concept to some viewers, but I found it entertaining.

Let’s talk about Enola Holmes character first and a bit about the synopsis. She’s an energetic sixteen-year-old who was homeschooled by her mother (Helena Bonham-Carter) in literature, history, science, and combat. At least she was until the plot kicks in and her mother goes missing. Her disappearance causes Enola’s brothers Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin) to return home. However, they don’t seem interested in their mother’s disappearance and seem more applauded—at least Mycroft seemed applauded, Sherlock seemed amused—that Enola isn’t being schooled on how to be a “proper lady”. As a result of being condemned to this fate by her brothers, Enola runs away to solve the case on her own.

The movie was fast and loose with the plot and subplots—Enola kept jumping from one thing to the next without taking a breath—that it was difficult to follow at various times after she ran away from her brothers. Rewinding the movie didn’t help much either with trying to understand what was going on.

However, the narrative is merely decorative for Brown’s performance as Enola. While her constant lightheartedness took away from the tension—I didn’t feel like she was in any real danger throughout this movie due to fourth wall breaking and the levity of her character—I still found her fun and a sharp contrast to the character she played—Eleven—in Stranger Things. Brown is able to convey boundless confidence in Enola but without losing the innocence of a child seeing the world for the first time.

Overall, I hope there are more Enola Holmes movies in the future. This movie wasn’t perfect regarding the plot, but Millie Bobby Brown nailed the performance—carrying the movie on her own essentially—and she expressed serious interest in reprising the role in future movies if allowed. I wouldn’t mind Sherlock Holmes being more involved in future movies either, but him being sidelined in this film was also kind-of funny given how significant his character is.

It’s your move, Netflix. Are we getting more Enola Holmes?

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