Sherlock Holmes is no stranger to us. Whether it’s from the books or renditions from people like Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. But Enola derserves that same spotlight! At the end of last month, a new rendition came out: Enola Holmes. But what does this movielover think of the newest Netflix Original? Read all about it in this review!
Enola, the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, is the only one of the family still living at home. Her mother is somewhat unstable, a bit crazy and has an unique way of raising Enola. But Enola’s very close to her mom. When her mother disappears on Enola’s 16th birthday, is Enola determined to find her – without the help of her brothers. But along the way, she gets entangled in an enterily different adventure.
We’ve seen countless renditions of Sherlock Holmes. And a lot of other murder or disappearance plots. And while this surely is one of them, Enola Holmes is unique. Not unique as in not comparable with all of those other mysteries but a unique treasure among all those mysteries. What starts off with a search for the loving mother, becomes a search for more. A search for Enola, a search for a missing viscount and a serach for Enola’s Prince Charming. And a little bit of a search for herself. 2 hours filled with adventure, which makes the movie quite amusing!
Breaking the fourth wall is a principle that was first used in 1928. It appeared in a number of other movies but certrainly not a standard in modern television. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Deadpool, Monthy Python and the Holy Grail and freshly added to that list: Enola Holmes. Enola, who’s speaking to you, the viewer. That’s one of the thing that make this movie different from all the others.
But it’s not only the breaking of the fourth wall, it’s also the characters that make the movie unique. You have Enola’s mom, who’s everything but a stay-at-home mom. Who tennises inside of the house with her daughter. Who does science experiments with her little daughter. Who teachers her daughter to fight. Or Tewskbury family, that’s everything but normal. All of those quirky things are a bit along the lines of Wes Anderson. Not only the characters by the way, the use of color remind me a bit of his movies, too. Colors that show what kind of scene it is, what kind of mood the person’s in.
Who says that women can’t do anything? Certainly not Netflix with this movie! What Enola Holmes shows us like any other, is the power of women. It’s not only Sherlock who’s the families mastermind – Enola’s quite smart herself. With an entirely different approach than Sherlock, by the way. Scared of nothing or nobody, taking the bull by the horns and analyzing events to find the best solution – while taking a lot of risks.
Enola’s mom is as fearless as Enola. Raising a daughter by herself, when the older brothers already left their nest. Her own club of women that are up to something. And her mom’s friend, Edith, who’s dissing Sherlock. Women can do anything, if we’d have to believe this movie.
But Enola Holmes is still not flawless. It’s not neccessary to put a lovestory in every movie. It’s a little bit too feminist sometimes. And some things aren’t logical at the end of the movie. But meanwhile, Millie Bobby Brown shows us that she’s a pretty good actress with a long career ahead of her – maybe even as producer of more movies. It’s a good start and centainly worth a watch. Not as a masterpiece, but as a fun movie for saturdaynights.
Genre: Adventure, crime, drama
Runtime: 2h 2min
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, Pouis Partridge
IMDb score: 6,7
Tomatometer: 91%
My rating: 7/10
Share your thoughts