A Review of Enola Holmes
CONTENT WARNING: mentions spoilers
Enola Holmes, a film directed by Harry Bradbeer, tells the charming coming-of-age story of Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Louis Partridge, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham-Carter, the film revolves around teen Enola Holmes’ quest to find her mother while keeping herself and her friend, Lord Tewkesbury, in hiding.
The film, based on the Young Adult book series by Nancy Springer, presents a fun, but headstrong female protagonist with excellent performances from all the supporting actors. After her mother suddenly disappears on her 16th birthday, Enola Holmes is determined to find her. This is against the will of her older brothers who instead want to enroll her in a finishing school. On her search, Enola runs into Viscount Tewkesbury, who has run away from his family in hopes of starting a new life. Enola quickly realizes that his life is in danger, and decides to stop looking for her mother to help the Viscount instead.
I thought Enola Holmes was an enjoyable, family-friendly movie, but it did have some room for improvement. Throughout the movie, there are some jarring moments in which Enola breaks the fourth wall and, in doing so, slows the momentum of the story. In the beginning, these moments allowed me to get to know Enola better while also providing necessary exposition. However, by the end, these asides felt somewhat forced, taking away from the general experience of the film.
In my opinion, because we are following two different storylines, the film becomes slightly overcomplicated and struggles to find a balance between the two. Neither plot is fully developed, but Enola’s quest to find her mother suffered the most. Although Enola’s mother’s disappearance is explored lightly in the beginning, it is quickly left behind as the race to save Viscount Tewkesbury takes center stage. Then, randomly, the mother reappears at the end of the movie, only to leave for good. While I understand that the mother never wanted to be found, this point could have been revealed earlier on in the story, freeing up Enola and the screenwriter to focus all of their efforts on the mystery surrounding Tewkesbury. Sadly, this doesn’t happen, and thus the storyline becomes underdeveloped as well. Moreover, in most mysteries, there are often enough clues planted throughout that give the viewer the opportunity to solve the mystery themselves. However, because Enola Holmes is juggling two storylines, it fails to plant enough evidence that would reveal the villain before Enola can put the pieces together.
Even though the movie’s structure leaves much to be desired, I would still highly recommend watching it. It presents a fresh take on a teenage coming-of-age story, with stunning costumes, and beautiful scenery. Enola Holmes proves herself to be a lovable and strong protagonist, and the film’s great success opens the door for a potential sequel in the future, which I would be very excited to see.
by JULIA ARNOLD