Enola Holmes Review

Director: Harry Bradbeer
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Adeel Akhtar, Fiona Shaw and Helena Bonham Carter

Netflix has released a new movie which many people might be very interested in, Enola Holmes.

The movie is a different take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books.

I know many of you might have watched the trailer and thought: “Wait a second. Sherlock never had a sister!”

And, you’d be right. In the books and all the movies and TV shows involving the great detective, he’s never had a sister.

He has a brother, Mycroft Holmes, but no sister.

However, this film is actually based on a book by Nancy Springer and this is aimed at a very different audience to the Sherlock Holmes books, movies and TV shows.

This is a film which is all about creating a new heroine for a new audience – young women, and it should be applauded for that.

Enola Holmes spelt backwards is ALONE

Credit: Netflix

Read more: Henry Cavill Is Playing Sherlock Holmes In Netflix’s Enola Holmes Spinoff Movie

So, what’s Enola Holmes about then?

Well, young Enola (played by Millie Bobby Brown) is living with her mother, played by Helena Bonham Carter.

She’s a young, clever and independent woman and loves living with her mother in their beautiful family home.

However, her life is turned upside down when her mother suddenly vanishes.

Her disappearance brings the Holmes brothers back to their childhood home.

Sherlock (played by Henry Cavill) seems to be sympathetic towards his younger sister.

Mycroft (played by Sam Clafin) doesn’t share his younger brother’s sympathies towards their sister and ends up trying to send her to a finishing school for young girls (otherwise known as a young women’s prison…).

Enola, who’s just as clever as both her brothers put together, manages to escape and goes to London in search for her missing mother.

Millie Bobby Brown is pretty good as Enola Holmes

Credit: Netflix

Read more: Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown May Have Joined Marvel’s The Eternals

There’s a lot to like about this movie.

One of the first things is Millie Bobby Brown’s performance.

She has a pretty tough job in this movie.

She has to be likeable – which she is – but she’s also often breaking the fourth wall and talks directly to the viewers.

I’m not always a fan of this style of storytelling in films.

It can sometimes come off as being a bit lazy and breaks up the narrative flow.

Honestly, it does that here too on multiple occasions, yet it’s not as jarring as it is in other films.

One of the reasons is Brown’s performance.

She’s fun, and I can easily see a lot of younger viewers enjoying her little nods and winks to the camera.

The key thing you have to bear in mind when reviewing this film is who is it made for.

It’s got a very specific target audience in mind – young girls, and Brown’s Enola Holmes is the perfect role model.

Henry Cavill is a new-look Sherlock Holmes

Credit: Netflix

Read more: Fans Think Henry Cavill Looks More Like Superman As Sherlock Holmes Than He Does In The DCEU

Finally, you can’t really talk about this film without mentioning Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes.

If you’ve read a number of my other articles here on Small Screen, then you’ll probably know that I’m a bit in love with him.

I can’t explain it. I just think he’s great.

And yes, I think he’s great in Enola Holmes.

Granted, this is a very different version of Sherlock Holmes.

He’s not quite Arthur Conan Doyle accurate, and he’s also a bit too buff to play the role.

However, he’s perfect for this movie.

Cavill gives Sherlock a much softer side, and I like that about his performance.

We’ve seen Benedict Cumberbatch’s awkward Holmes and Robert Downey Jr. Hollywoodised take on the great detective.

It’s time for Cavill’s more heartfelt and understanding version of Holmes.

His Holmes is exactly the type of Sherlock the movie needed.

So, yes, the film isn’t going to win any awards.

It’s not brilliant. It’s cheesy and slightly clunky in parts. The dialogue is also a bit awkward.

However, kids will love it, and I love the fact that Netflix is making movies that are trying to change the status quo.

What do you make of this review?

Are you going to be watching Enola Holmes on Netflix?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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