Enola Holmes - Cheap Thoughts

Never let it be said that there isn’t a place for the perfectly fine movies. Perfectly fine movies are one of the most underappreciated gems of cinema. The movies that you can put on, sit down and enjoy 2 hours of your life going by, and then move on with your life never putting that much thought into that film again. Netflix in particular have perfected the perfectly fine to a tee, they are fully aware of the context of which their films are being consumed, by individuals and couples who have had long days at work and just want something simple and edible to enjoy at the end of their day. Raise a glass to the perfectly fine movies! Unfortunately these also come with the unexpected drawback of being very difficult movies to talk about because the whole appeal of them is that you don’t have think too hard about them so you might end up trying to fill a roughly 500 word review with nearly 200 words of pure filler rambling on about the welcome collection of the perfectly fine, of which Enola Holmes fits in as comfortably as the film is to watch.

Enola Holmes follows the story of the teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft Holmes (Sam Caflin) as she investigates the disappearance of their mother (Helena Bonham Carter) as well as evade capture from her unreceptive brothers and earn her independence. There’s much to value within this film. Millie Bobbie Brown is a very likeable and charismatic lead in the film, she’s a very easy character to root for as an underdog in every regard, being a young woman in late 19^th century and having to deal with possibly the most egotistical brothers one could ever dread. Brown plays it with such glee and wit she will capture any audiences support. Director Harry Bradbeer of Fleabag brings alone his use of forth wall breaking and implants it here, quite sparingly as well, it’s a technique that can easily be indulgent but Bradbeer savours it in small doses and often as the punchline to a joke.

Though not part of the official Sherlock Holmes canon there is a place fitting for Enola to join as both a character and a franchise. Like the two brothers there are plenty of similarities that connect her to them, their intelligence, their independence and addiction to solving mysteries but likewise there is enough separation that develops the contrast between them that makes them engaging to watch. Truly the highlights of the film is whenever the Holmes siblings are together in any combination and seeing these larger than life attitudes play off each other is highly entertaining. In Enola’s case it would be her youthful, playful and green perspective on the world as she builds a life for herself and the film very quickly establishes a formula for itself for potential sequels to work with.

There is certainly an audience in mind for this film as reflected by the main character but that shouldn’t stop others from giving it a go. Truly it’s a film that should appeal to all ages and be decently amused by it at minimum, while others will likely find it to be a highly entertaining and would most likely be salivating for a sequel, or for nothing else, salivating for Henry Cavill.

-Danny