Enola Holmes Review

Certificate: 12

Running time: 122 minutes

Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Louis Partridge, Henry Cavill, Sam Clafin, Burn Gorman, Helena Bonham Carter

Directed by: Henry Bradbeer

The story: Intrepid teenager Enola Holmes, sister of famous detective Sherlock, is tasked with her own mystery to solve when her mother goes missing and she meets a runaway lord.

The verdict: Sadly, due to what is currently going on in the world, more and more films are being postponed and pushed back from theatrical releases. With that in mind, new films dropping on streaming services are more appreciated than ever. This week, Netflix dropped their latest film Enola Holmes. And frankly, this may be the film that we all need right now.

Based on the book of the same name by Nancy Springer, Enola Holmes intrigued me with its description and its cast but I had no particular expectations for the film. I ended up thoroughly enjoying it.

Firstly, this is a film that everyone can enjoy. It would be a great film to watch as a family because it has a wide appeal - both kids and adults will be able to find something in it that they like. Enola Holmes is a really fun film, it bounces along with moments of humour which elicited laughs and is engaging throughout.

Millie Bobby Brown, already a popular actress, will gain herself even more fans here as the smart and witty Enola. It is great to see a film with a feisty young heroine as the main character and I liked how her character remains the focus as it would have been easy to adjust the focus to Sherlock. Speaking of Sherlock, a lot of people will automatically compare Cavill to other actors who have played the famous detective, but I thought that Cavill was great as a cool and charismatic Sherlock as was Sam Clafin as the snobbish and cold Mycroft.

Enola Holmes is a rollicking adventure with elements of mystery and I think what I liked best about it is that it just has a really feel good feel to it. I watched this with a smile throughout and found it an easy and entertaining watch. Which goes back to my comment about this being the film that we all need right now - a film that anyone of any age can sit down to, enjoy and forget about the world for a bit.

I have few complaints with Enola Holmes. I did think that it was perhaps a tad too long, at over two hours, shaving off a bit of time would have made the film flow even better. But that is really only a minor complaint as I was never bored or disengaged by the film. I think that there are some other elements that may be divisive for audiences though, such as the breaking of the fourth wall which I know that many people rally against. Again though, that wasn't a problem for me at all.

Overall, I was really impressed with this film. I especially think that this film works well as a franchise starter, if such a franchise were to be developed. Would I watch a second Enola Holmes film? Indubitably.

The rating: ✭✭✭✭ and a half