While searching for her missing mother,
intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother
Sherlock and help a runaway lord.
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam
Claflin, Adeel Akhtar, Fiona Shaw, Frances de la Tour, Louis Partridge, Susie
Wokoma, Helena Bonham Carter
Release Date:
Adventure, Crime, Drama
Rated PG-13 for some violence
Runtime: 2h 3m
Review:
Enola Holmes has all the trappings of a
young adult franchise starter. It’s
based off a popular series of books which introduces us to Sherlock Holmes
sister. The film is a fun ride that
focuses more on the titular character than the central mystery. Harry Bradbeer directs the film with a
slightly kinetic energy which borrows some elements from Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock
Holmes modern reinvention. The action is
fast and fun, filled with quick cuts coupled with fourth wall breaking
addresses to the audience. It all could
have been rather forgettable and inconsequential if it weren’t for a game
cast. Millie Bobby Brown carries the
film with a star turn that’s even more engaging than her breakout role in
Stranger Things. Here she’s allowed to
let loose and she takes full advantage of it, proving to be an effervescent
performer whose charisma shines through the entire film. It helps that she's surrounded by a stellar
supporting cast with the likes of Henry Cavill, the burliest Holmes ever, Sam
Claflin and Helena Bonham Carter peppered throughout. Each of them has their moment to shine throughout
the film but it’s clearly Brown’s film.
Sadly, the central mystery is more of an afterthought as it’s never as
engaging or interesting as the characters.
Still it’s a flaw that could be corrected in future installment that are
sure to come.
B
