Enola Holmes just dropped a few days ago on Netflix. The story follows the youngest Holmes sibling, Enola, as she looks for her mother throughout London, trying to outsmart her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock. She disguises herself, swaps clothes, shares witty conversations and fools her more worldly brothers. Enola Holmes is almost nearly perfect, with wonderful heartwarming messages and nearly perfect editing, but also had some things that I didn’t like at all. So, let’s talk about the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Good
Millie Bobby Brown. That’s it. She literally stole the whole movie. Not to outshine everyone else. The young actress stole the show, literally showing incredible strength with executing each scene perfectly. From the first time she’s on screen, her presence is so rewarding and so natural. Her acting is spot on from the beginning. Millie makes you really love Enola, from the beginning to the secret glances into the camera.
Another thing that makes this movie awesome is the edition. It has a special feel to it. Throughout the entire movie it allows the viewer to know exactly what’s going on, with no confusion. The storytelling in this film is immaculate, and the soundtrack not as loud as to not hear the actors and the noises blended with each scene is one element that ties this movie together. The flashbacks of Enola and her mother and well put together in little snippets instead of a ten-minute prologue that drags the movie.
In addition, cinematography is great, the few clips of the vast field and beautiful landscapes slow down the movie enough that the action packed adventure isn’t watered down. It’s slow enough to let the viewer enjoy the movie and pick up the pace in the movie enough that it’s not messy.
Anothing thing that makes this film superior? It’s the messages. The independence of Enola Holmes is a heartwarming message from the movie. She shows that her mother raised her to take care of herself. Enola uses the money her mother gave her to rent an apartment and disguises herself well to outsmart her brothers. Enola learns that if she wants to be heard she has to make noise, how to control her emotions and how to stand up for herself.
The Bad
The heavily hinted romance between Tewkesbury and Enola is one of the major plot points of the movie. Tewkesbury helps Enola several times throughout the movie and she seems to have feelings for him but values her independence more. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m going to say it. Enola is only sixteen in the movie, but the worst of it is that the writers suggest that Enola’s romance with Tewkesbury may come into play later. In a sequel maybe?
The lack of Mycroft and Sherlock is not the biggest disappointment, which is why its so far down on my list. The center of this movie is Enola and her journey but it would have been nice to see more of the development between Enola and her brothers. There are very few scenes with Sherlock even, although he is the better brother than Mycroft.
The Ugly
One of the most common tropes in young adult literature is the missing parent. It’s been used so many times in literature it becomes almost a cliche, not that the movie doesn’t execute it well. The worst of it is seeing the complete story surround it, especially when it conflicts with Enola also helping Tewkesbury. The point of the plot where these two points coincide is almost albeit confusing. This really is my biggest complaint about the movie.
Enola Holmes, in conclusion, is a wonderful coming of age story filled with adventure, encouraging messages and perfect comedic timing. It is not perfect, and sometimes falls into cliches of the youth genre that it’s time to change.
