Enola Holmes
Ratings: 3/5
Duration: 02 Hrs. 03 Mins.
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Genre: Crime, Drama, Adventure
Release Date: 23rd September 2020
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Star Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, Fiona Shaw, Adeel Akhtar, Frances de la Tour, Louis Partridge, Susan Wokoma, Burn Gorman, Jay Simpson, Margaret Wheldon, Joakim Skarli, Heather Pearse, Paul Parker, Deonne Newby, Hattie Jackson, Sonya Seva, Gianni Calchetti, Owen Atlas, Theo Ip, Delroy Atkinson, Steve Saunders, Pierre Bergman, Adrian Mozzi, Antoniya Gerimpapazi, Hattie Morahan, Claire Rushbrook, Ellie Haddington, Rebecca Hanssen, Stuart Whelan, Alex Kelly, Peter Theobalds, Nick Davison, Mark Ryder
Plot: Set in 1884, England, ‘Enola Holmes’ is the story of a teen Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown), who is home-schooled by her eccentric mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter). On the morning of her 16th birthday, she discovers that her mother has disappeared, with no apparent clue as to where she is gone or why leaving behind an odd assortment of gifts.
This is when Enola’s long-absent big brothers, Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft’s (Sam Claflin) makes a rare trip back home, as there is no adult left to supervise her. And they promptly decide to pack off Enola to a finishing school, for her to be educated into a “young lady”. After a free-spirited childhood, horrified by the thought, Enola sets off to find her mother in London. And it is this journey that finds her entangled in a mystery that forms the rest of the story.
Review: Directed by Harry Bradbeer, ‘Enola Holmes’ is a girl-powered action-adventure. The film navigates 19th-century patriarchy that deems men as rational and women as emotional like they were clear-cut opposites.
What makes her so endearing is the way how the 16-year-old Enola Holmes breaks down patriarchy without being overshadowed by her world-famous brothers, but being raised by a revolutionary single mother is the essence of this film.
Written by Jack Thorne and based on Nancy Springer's young-adult books, the film borrows certain aspects from the recent Robert Downey Jr. ‘Sherlock Holmes’ movies and TV’s popular modern-day ‘Sherlock’ with Benedict Cumberbatch. However, ‘Enola Holmes’ is not a female-friendly reboot of 1985's ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’.
Enola Holmes opens with bursts of exposition, delivered by the titular character Millie Bobby Brown. Influenced by her mother's idea of women's empowerment, she takes charge of her own destiny separate from that of her famous brothers. When it comes to performances, Enola Holmes rightly belongs to its lead, with the 16-year-old Stranger Things star carrying the film on her young shoulders. Even Henry Cavill as Sherlock takes on the iconic role and is both complementary and different. However, there is a bruising quality that Henry Cavill brings with his frame and filmography, yet his interactions and reconnection with Enola knocks down that wall and reveals a warm-hearted big lug. In short, Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill have great chemistry and their dynamic is the most fun part of the film.
The mother Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria largely existed in those quick flashbacks, where she is stuck delivering platitudes and rarely gets a proper scene opposite Millie Bobby Brown, where she emerges as a fully-realised character.
Sam Claflin as Mycroft is impressive. He was last seen as Oswald Mosley in Peaky Blinders, which was something on a similar line. And with Fiona Shaw, Frances de la Tour, and Helena Bonham Carter coming together after a long time, ‘Enola Holmes’ was a Harry Potter reunion too! Among whom Helena Bonham Carter is indeed one of the greatest actors, who goes neck-deep into every character she plays.
As far as the technical aspects of the movie are concerned, Daniel Pemberton's music and Giles Nuttgens's cinematography makes the film more thrilling to watch. Even the costumes by Consolata Boyle that the characters donned in Enola Holmes cannot be overlooked. The Academy Award nominee has once again done a commendable job!
Overall, Enola Holmes defines feminism. This Netflix film makes a persuasive case for a sequel, if not a whole saga.
