The adventures of Enola Holmes have already been released on Netflix, the literary saga created by Nancy Stringer, located in the universe of Sherlock Holmes, where they tell us the adventures of the detective's younger sister, is already a movie, starring a dazzling Millie Bobby Brown.
What is the plot?
On Enola's 16th birthday, her mother, Eudoria Holmes, leaves the house without saying goodbye. The woman disappears and after a few weeks, Mycroft and Scherlok, Enola's older brothers, whom she has not seen since she was a child, arrive in the village. Mycroft is horrified by his sister's lack of education. As her guardian, he wants to send her to a boarding school to be taught how to be a lady. But Enola escapes, determined to find her mother in London, running into the young Marquis of Tewkesbury, who has escaped from his home and is in mortal danger, being pursued by a murderer. Enola will live her first adventure, in a London shaken by political reforms.
The film is the beginning of a youthful franchise. No matter how much the director declares in the media that there is nothing concrete to make a sequel, I think it is a lie. Plans to release several Enola Holmes films are planned and were only waiting for the results of this film. Warner had planned to release it in theaters, but the plans changed due to the pandemic and Netflix acquired the distribution in its platform.
The character Enola Holmes was created by the writer Nancy Springer, who published the first novel in 2006. The writer has made a youthful saga, using the universe of Sherlock Holmes, the detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The adventures of Enola Holmes has six published books. The film adapts the case of the first book, The Missing Marquis. Having a written material that gives to make several films, there is no doubt that the plans are to consolidate this saga of adventures.
Watching it without many expectations was the best I could do. I loved the character. I don't see many films for young people, but this first adventure of Enola Holmes, is super entertaining and can be enjoyed by a wide audience, a film for the whole family, with a prominent feminist message.
The main character is a young woman, who has been raised by her own mother, to be an independent woman, breaking all the social norms of the time in which the story takes place. Enola's mother is part of the feminist movement that wants to accelerate changes in society.
The young woman rejects all the norms and impositions of her environment. Her older brother, Mycroft Holmes, represents the aristocracy that wants the system to remain intact. For him, the young woman must be prepared to be a lady of society, respectful, delicate and especially obedient.
Sherlock Holmes, the young detective who is making a name for himself in London, stays out of politics, but deep down he supports his little sister, because he realizes that she is intelligent and has qualities to be a detective. Both characters will share a couple of scenes, which shows the good chemistry they have as detectives.
Romance is present in history, with the obvious attraction between Enola and the Marquis. But it's dosed, something to be thankful for. There is tension between the two young men, but it is Enola herself who does not let herself be guided by what she feels in her heart. Love is something that is not a priority, for the moment.
For the character of Enola, one of the current successful youth stars was selected. The actress Millie Bobby Brown is the soul of the film, captivating us with her performance. From the moment she makes her first appearance and speaks directly to the camera, this girl is friendly and fun. I had not seen the work of this actress, I have never seen the series Stranger Things or it is not in my plans to do so. I'm not really attracted to that series, but I must admit that this young actress is great as Enola Holmes.
Millie Bobby Brown became world famous as an actress in the series Stranger Things. She has won awards and has many fans around the world. By choosing her as the star of the movie, Netflix made sure that it was a success, they knew that the actress' fans would see her. Everything is planned to continue the adventures of little Holmes.
There are other important names in the cast. The actress Helena Bonham Carter plays Eudoria Holmes, although she doesn't have such an extensive participation, it is her disappearance that starts the plot. I was left wanting to see more of the actress. Whatever character she plays, she does it phenomenally.
To play Sherlock Holmes, young and still without an assistant, Superman, Henry Cavill was selected. He still seems to me to be an actor with little facial expression, but the scenes with the lead actress have been good. Also, Sherlock is a supporting character, the star is his younger sister. The English actor Sam Claflin plays the irritating Mycroft. His character is repellent, and we hate him for wanting to impose his point of view. It is the representation of the oppressive patriarchy, within the feminist message. And the always excellent Fiona Shaw plays Miss Harrinson, the director of the boarding school, who trains young aristocratic girls to be submissive women and she is in love with Mycroft.
The British filmmaker Harry Bradbeer has done an excellent job, he has experience in the series Felabag and Killing Eve, starring women, with good rhythm and entertaining. That experience is made palpable with the use of narrative memory of the breaking of the fourth wall. Throughout the film, Enola Holmes will address the viewer, looking at the camera and engaging with us and in this film she looks wonderful.
A new film saga is born, with enough material (six novels) to continue enjoying the adventures of Enola Holmes. For this to continue to be a success, they must make the sequel with the same director. So far the streaming platform has not announced anything, but I am sure that in the coming days they will get the approval to make another film.
I want to see more of the young Holmes.
My Ranking: 3.5/5
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