‘Enola Holmes 2’ Narrows in on What Works: Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill
While it may feel like 2020 was a decade ago, it has actually only been two years since Netflix debuted their ridiculously fun Enola Holmes adaptation, and Millie Bobby Brown steps back into her titular role with ease for the vibrant and grittier sequel. Enola Holmes 2 doesn’t look to reinvent the wheel with its return—it doesn’t try to bend the genre or bait and switch its audience. Instead, the film’s scribe Jack Thorne took the best elements of the original and elevated them to craft an even more fun adventure to get lost in for a neat hour and a half.
Enola Holmes 2 wastes very little time reacquainting its audiences with its plucky heroine—who just so happens to be the younger sister of the mystery-solving Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill). On the heels of the first film, Enola has established her own detective agency in London, though she has a handful of odds stacked against her. Despite successfully rescuing Viscount Tewksbury (Louis Partridge) and securing him as a paramour, no one is breaking down the door to hire a teenage girl to solve anything for them. Especially not when they could just hire Sherlock to investigate for them. Dejected and prepared to head back to their family home and accept defeat, a penniless match girl by the name of Bessie (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss) turns everything around for the youngest Holmes sibling.
Image via Netflix
Bessie’s sister has gone missing and Enola quickly discovers that this is no ordinary missing person case. There is a mystery afoot in the streets of London, and more specifically, there is something untoward happening in the factories churning out matches. Rooted in the real-life tragedies that occurred within match stick factories due to the harsh working conditions, Enola Holmes 2 garners a more mature approach than its predecessor. As Enola descends into the tawdry world of music halls, the duplicitous nature of London’s upper echelons, and the dangers of powerful men, this film feels better suited to be compared to Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes franchise than the first in this inevitable trilogy. Even with its fourth-wall-breaking moments and welcomed bouts of levity and humor, Enola Holmes 2 takes its mystery far more seriously.
Without Sam Claflin reprising his role as the other Holmes sibling Mycroft, Sherlock and Enola are given a much better opportunity to bond in the sequel. While Mycroft is a fun character, his presence cut into the franchise’s opportunity to really delve into the connection between the two sleuthing siblings, and Enola Holmes 2 really gets straight to the heart of what makes these films so endearing. Previous interpretations of Sherlock Holmes tend to be more true to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels, which lends itself to more aloof Sherlocks who struggle with making connections with those closest to them. Cavill, on the other hand, is fully allowed to lean into the big brother role with Brown, and given how closely the siblings are made to work together to solve the ever-growing conspiracy unraveling around them, it takes a great film and makes it even better. Cavill—who is largely known for very serious and straight-laced roles—is given a chance to show off his humor and play a character who is a bit of a mess.
As with any mystery, Enola Holmes 2 has quite a few twists and turns, and some of the shocking reveals might make you shout when you finally make the connections and piece together the cleverly placed clues that were sprinkled throughout the film. For fans of the Sherlockian world, there are several notable Sherlock Holmes characters that finally make their Netflix premiere, and some of them may surprise you yet. It’s refreshing to see how confident the streamer is to take beloved characters and give the film’s director Harry Bradbeer free reign to repackage them for a new generation of mystery lovers.
Unfortunately, because Enola Holmes 2 is such a tightly packed powder keg of story, there aren’t as many subplots as with the first film. Characters like Eudoria Holmes (Helena Bonham Carter) and Edith (Susan Wokoma) return, but their involvement in the main story is tenuous at best, and they could be removed without any detriment to the plot. The romantics at heart will be pleased to learn that Enola and Tewksbury’s romance is still in full bloom, yet there really isn’t enough time devoted to showcasing why the two teens are a good match—though they are still afforded a handful of really sweet scenes. The film also sees the introduction of Inspector Grail (David Thewlis), who poses a threat to Enola’s entire operation, and follows the emerging trend of Thewlis portraying irredeemable and somewhat cartoonish bad guys. Like with Enola Holmes’ Burn Gorman—if you see either man, assume they’re up to no good.
Enola Holmes 2 builds on the best elements of Enola Holmes, letting its central characters shine while leaving room for even more character growth should its cast return for a third film. And given the clever pre-credits scene that closes out the sequel, it’s safe to assume that Netflix has big plans. Despite having a handful of structure issues, Enola Holmes 2 is a delightfully fun romp that is smartly fixed within a plot inspired by true events. Brown delivers a solid performance and shines in the midst of a very dark period in London’s history.
Final Verdict: B+
