Now, where to begin?
Enola Holmes, based on the 2006 book of the same name, is a sort-of Sherlock Holmes spinoff, focuses on the ace detective's teenage sister, here played by Millie Bobbie-Brown. She's looking for her mother, her closest companion, who's recently gone missing, and with an errant viscount in tow and her two older brothers (Sherlock, but also the overbearing Mycroft) on her trail, the game is well and truly afoot. Immediately the film sets up a lighthearted tone and self-aware sense of humour, and the to-camera addresses aren't surprising considering the film is helmed by Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer. It's assured right from the start, with Enola (it's alone backwards), easing us in with a ridiculously charming narration. But then the plot begins, and the problems follow suit
For a film that's (naturally) focused so much on mystery, it really is a shame how meandering and loose the plot is. There's a lot going on in Enola Holmes- missing mother, runaway nobleman, assassins in pursuit, brothers on the case- and the film just isn't capable of juggling these storylines while keeping them interesting. The central questions are pushed to the wayside in favour of hastily introduced plot threads and new information that never quite has enough time to develop. It doesn't help that the film is constantly chasing distractions. A mid-film interlude in a girl's boarding school is especially egregious, killing the film's pace and doing little more than padding out the film's runtime
The narrative is sloppy and overburdened, something not helped by how blunt the film is with its message. Enola subverts the expectations that people have for her, and while I really admire the film for what it's trying to do, it just feels so stiff and awkward. It raises genuinely interesting ideas about feminism and male privilege, but these insights find themselves crammed into moments that just aren't written to fit them. Suzie Wokoma's Edith provides the perfect example of this in her dressing down of Sherlock; the commentary is on point but the scene takes an abrupt left-turn to accommodate it, and sharp as it is, it just doesn't gel with everything else that happens in the moment. The same can be said of the note the film ends on. I love the kids-are-alright message but can't help but feel that it was done much better in last year's The Kid Who Would Be King. Actually, thinking back, that film actually nailed most of the story beats this one fails to hit
At least the cast are good. Millie Bobbie Brown is a fantastic lead, continuing to impress with her depth of range. She has a real knack for commanding every scene she's in, effortlessly tackling the film's tricky tonal balance of lighthearted fun and slightly weightier intrigue. Her Enola is an ace teen-hero, deserving of a better film. The support's fantastic too. Cavil and Claflin are great as a two-headed brotherly ball-and-chain, an ace push and pull between the measured, understanding Sherlock and the narky, ill-tempered Mycroft. Helena Bonham Carter makes an impression with what little screentime she gets. The rest of the ensemble are solid, too. Suzie Wokoma, Adeel Akhtar and Fiona Shaw light up the supporting roles, and newcomer Louis Partridge is great as the uber-naive viscount. His back-and-forth with Enola is definitely one of the film's high points, even if the plot lets it down
I wanted to like Enola Holmes, I really did. To be fair, it's not awful, but it aims so high and just doesn't deliver, and that's a real shame. It puts the cart before the horse, laying down the right sentiment without a good enough story to back it up. It's bogged down by too many dueling storylines and a wildly inconsistent pace, and despite good intentions it just comes out a bloated, dull mess. I know it's aiming for a younger audience, but even so, it still feels frustratingly elementary
★ ★
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