Review of Enola Holmes
midlandsmovies • September 25, 2020
Enola Holmes (2020) Dir. Harry Bradbeer
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Louis Partridge, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter
Netflix’s latest acquisition is a tonally mismatched adaption of the Enola Holmes novels by Nancy Springer, just about held together by a charming lead performance by Millie Bobby Brown. Revolving around the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes (Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin respectively) who turns super-sleuth to track down her missing mother (a wasted Helena Bonham Carter) and bring down a plot to kill a young Lord (Louis Partridge).
It starts off in snappy form, with Brown speaking directly to the camera and showing a lightness of touch that she could not bring to her work in Stranger Things. She introduces us not only to Holmes family, as imagined in these non-canon outings, but also to a Victorian England on the verge of change. Much of the plot, though never explicitly stated, deals with a Reform Bill to give women the vote – an alternative timeline running nearly 40 years ahead of the real-life suffrage victory in 1918.
If that all sounds a little on the heavy side, fear not. Enola Holmes positions itself within the family-friendly adventure genre. The nasty particulars of how women were, and unfortunately still are, treated are only ever alluded too, enough perhaps to spark the conversations needed. For the most part, however, this is a fast-paced romp as Enola works to outsmart everyone around her.
Brown is brilliant in the lead role, handling the comedic and dramatic moments with flair. The rest of the performances are good as well, with Partridge bringing warmth to what could have been a two-dimensional character. Despite having little time to shine, Cavill and Claflin also do well as the famous Holmes siblings. Claflin is suitably misanthropic, while Cavill is charming as Sherlock (his added emotion the cause of controversy with the Doyle estate).
There’s also an excellent cameo from Fiona Shaw as the stern headmistress of Enola’s finishing school, which is mined for some of the funnier moments of the film. Then there’s Burn Gorman, who many will know as Karl Tanner in Game of Thrones, as the murderous pursuer Linthorn. Gorman has a knack for playing villainous characters and here is no different. His assaults on the leads are uncomfortable, stretching the family-friendly tag to breaking point, especially during his one-on-one fight with Brown.
There’s precedent for this of course. Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and George Lucas’ Indiana Jones series tested the archaic ratings system with new levels of violence and horror, yet both would have muzzled without them. The Dark Knight is the Joker’s film, while the Temple of Doom would seem toothless if there was no temple, or doom, to back it up. Here, it feels less integral, a tonal shift that heightens the peril but unnecessarily so.
This is the problem with Enola Holmes. It wants to be a big budget adaption, full of action and adventure, and Netflix’s deep pockets have certainly made this possible. Yet it tries to do too much. Is it a light and whimsical comedy, or a bone crunching action flick (more like Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock adaptions)? The hunt for Enola’s mother takes a backseat, barely mentioned in the second half of the film, which leads to an unsatisfying conclusion. While the mystery surrounding the imperilled Lord, often feels like an attempt to soften Enola, teasing a relationship with the teenage runaway.
It’s not that Enola should be either an independent hard-boiled detective, or a young woman with the layers and emotions we expect. There is no binary choice here, but more often than not the film positions it as such, doing a disservice to the character and leading to a fast-paced but muddled film.
★★ ½
Matthew Tilt
Twitter @matthew_tilt
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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