DIRECTOR: Harry Bradbeer
PRODUCERS: Mary Parent & Alex Garcia & Ali Mendez & Paige Brown
& Mille Bobby Brown
WRITER: Jack Thorne
PERFORMERS: Millie Bobby Brown Sam Claflin Adeel Akhtar Fiona Shaw
Frances de la Tour Louis Partridge Susie Wakoma with Henry Cavill
and Helena Bonham Carter
When I first heard of 'Enola Holmes' I had no idea who or what kind of character that was... until I remembered the Sherlock Holmes stories I grew up on. I remember there was a time when I was addicted to them as a child, so much in fact that I even dressed as him one Halloween several years ago. As the years went by, there were many adaptations of Sherlock Holmes from a 80's adaptation of him as a young man to a once popular TV show renamed and revised with a female lead in the title role and more memorably, another adaptation with MCU star Robert Downey, Jr. in the lead role as a more hardcore and rather edgier version of the character. Then something like this comes along and in a time where female empowerment is becoming more and more of a big deal, I'm introduced to something I've never seen before until now. Enola Holmes hits the notes of a familiar universe but in a new light and perspective.
Millie Bobby Brown of the popular Netflix series 'Stranger Things' portrays the title character who takes us on this interesting journey throughout London in search of her missing mother played by Helena Bonham Carter. While she does, she narrates her journey from start to end and even goes as far as breaking the fourth wall in the style of Ferris Bueller from the 80's classic 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'. I often thought of that film whenever she did that because there was no other film that I had seen that had the same technique. But what separates that film from this one is the fact that this is about a young aspiring detective following in her family's footsteps into becoming as great as them while coming into her own. Her British accent is spot on and you buy into it like that's how she actually speaks in reality. Henry Cavill's performance as Sherlock Holmes was also quite convincing, although he gets little to no playtime as the legendary character but every time he was on screen, he played him to perfection as a older and wiser version as if he were beyond his years and yet still the same Sherlock we all grew up seeing and reading about when you were younger. The two characters I could not stand were the Fiona Shaw and Sam Claflin characters, they were controlling, unreasonable and unbelievably intolerable but there was a major difference between them: Claflin who plays the older Holmes brother was trying to look out for his sister, but his ways were rather wrong. Shaw, on the other hand, was definitely one I did not have any tolerance for and I can't even imagine going to a boarding school with her as the headmaster. So while Claflin was unlikable, he was also understanding and Shaw's character was just plain demented like she was once confident in herself, only to have lost her sense of confidence and never get it back.
Very few moments in this film are more defining than less expected. How so? While Enola searches for her mother, we get flashbacks of her previous life while shifting back to the present day. At times they even integrate with her as the young woman she is, replacing her with the younger version of herself as seen before in the beginning. This immediately took me back to the Robert Downey, Jr. films because when it came to the action scenes, he would reflect on his fighting skills taught to him and then he beats his opponent to a pulp coming out the winner. This film pays homage to that and that just came out of nowhere, even as she was fighting a dangerous adversary herself while remembering her training. At one point she loses, only later she finally wins and not only beats him, but kills him. I jumped out of my seat in utter shock when that happened (Suspension of Disbelief scenario!). Even the love story aspect plays a little part in this film, making it non sappy or less. There was really no need for that to happen anyway because nowadays, the romance part is only what makes the film more interesting, but it does not make the film itself. Most films in recent years have proven that you don't need to find your soulmate to find what you're looking for and certainly not what you want, but look for what's already in front of you. That can be anything from a centuries old mystery to a long hidden secret waiting to be unraveled, you can do any of these things and still have a happy ending. While Enola goes on her search she ends up teaming with another aspiring detective but doesn't end up with him which is the average Hollywood formula and honestly, I was okay with that because they're on separate paths. Rather than setting the main characters up for something that's not promised, they just go their separate ways, meet each other half way and still remain as they were when they first met each other.
"THE FUTURE IS UP TO US" - Millie Bobby Brown (Enola Holmes)
With these words we are left with the encouragement to seek out our own destiny instead of allowing someone else to determine it for us. That's exactly what Enola does in this film, she remains independent and self conscious about herself throughout the entirety of the film. I can only imagine what life was like back then in those days, but I don't think I'd want to live in them. All in all, the film was a solid crowd-pleaser and very well worth the look since it's brand new and it touches on the Holmes family subject that's often overlooked and rarely seen anymore. Even with the new elements added, it's still good for what it is. If it proves anything it's this: no one can determine your own path in life except you. Destiny is a path in life we all have to take sooner or later and if you knock on destiny's door more than once you are bound to find it (MATTHEW 7:7-8 NIV). The way Enola Holmes did it is a rare example of that, through persistence and determination she never stopped searching and that's what we should do in the most craziest times of today. If you're looking for a good detective film or just a throwback to the good old days of the Sherlock Holmes universe, look no further than this. Recommended and worth a look. #filmsof2020 #filmreviews #netflix #enolaholmes #sherlockholmesuniverse