by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
Enola Holmes was released in the fall of 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic, when a new movie to watch was a rarity. I will admit, this may have played a part in my enjoyment during that initial viewing. Upon rewatching the original, in anticipation of Enola Holmes 2,I still had a good time. However, some of the flaws stood out a bit more with a second viewing. The original has a ton of charm and was held together nicely by Millie Bobby Brown, who, up until that point, was largely known for her role as Eleven on Stranger Things. The first movie’s strength was definitely its reliance on Brown’s performance and charisma. She has an endearing way of breaking the fourth wall to tell the story, which, combined with the unique filming elements, allow the movie to stand out. This time, though, I noticed the length and found that there are scenes that could have been shorter, or moments that feel unnecessary for the story as a whole. I also feel (and my wife confirms) that the women’s suffrage subplot is very underdeveloped for the amount of runtime that it receives. That being said, I like what it is doing overall, and was excited to see a sequel, especially after hearing that Henry Cavill would be reprising his role as Sherlock Holmes, with a much larger part this time around.
Enola Holmes 2 takes place shortly after the events of the first movie, in Victorian Era London. Enola has set up her own detective agency, only to discover that no one wants to hire her due to her age, gender, and lack of the name “Sherlock.” But as she is about to pack it in and call it quits, a young girl arrives to hire Enola in hopes of finding her missing sister. Through the use of Enola’s keen observational skills, taught to her by her mother, Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter), she is able to pick up a trail of clues. These clues begin to unravel a devious plot that involves employer negligence, blackmail, conspiracy, and murder. Meanwhile Sherlock (Cavill) is on a case of his own involving money transfers and a scheme set up by a mastermind he has never encountered before.
Enola Holmes 2 has a great cast of characters with some new faces, as well as some returning, that I enjoyed greatly. The returning standouts are Cavill and Susan Wokoma as Edith. In the first movie, it is established that Edith is secretly working with Enola’s mother to help fight for women’s rights in an underground movement. She is a welcome addition to the cast, and although I would have liked to see more screen time for her, she does a lot with a little, and is present for the best action scenes of the movie. As for Cavill, well… my bias is going to show a bit here. I love him in everything, and his performance here is no exception. He is a warmer version of the character than we have seen in previous iterations. However, in a story where he is merely a side character, it works perfectly. Sherlock is unintentionally funny, showcases his skills as a fighter, and his superhuman ability of expert deduction is still at the forefront. Yet Cavill adds his own flair to the character, which sets him apart from other actors’ interpretations without losing the core of why this character has endured. Louis Partridge also returns as Lord Tewksbury, the potential love interest for Enola. In the first movie, I didn’t really see him as a suitable love interest due to his character being a bit underwritten. This time around, I enjoyed their banter and chemistry, as the relationship is more established. There are two new characters I liked, but I am only going to be able to talk about one, as I wouldn’t want to spoil who Moriarty ends up being since the movie did a rather good job of keeping that a secret. But understand that the actor they cast to play this legendary villain is excellent, and although not in much of the movie, did a lot with what they were given. I certainly hope to see Moriarty return for another sequel, should this turn into a trilogy. The final new character that stood out to me is the primary antagonist, Grail (David Thewlis). Thewlis is a wonder when it comes to playing “delightfully evil!” After his excellent performance in The Sandman earlier this year, it was a pleasure to see him once again being allowed to stretch out his bad guy chops. All in all, this cast is fantastic, and everyone is doing good work building out this world with interesting and fun characters.
One fun aspect of the movie is that it took a real life women’s rights story surrounding factory working and job safety regulations to help inform this fictional mystery. I like that the sequel has continued to build upon the “C story” of Eudoria Holmes’ fight for women’s suffrage. However, like the first movie, the sequel did not lean into the message enough to really drive home a point. Which I understand to a degree, they wanted a fun mystery movie and weren’t trying to make a political statement. It felt like they did not want to risk alienating a general audience by becoming overly preachy with real life issues that could stand in contrast to the fun. The message, however, is important, and I like that they are willing to shine a light on it, however small, because some of those issues still ring true today.
This leads into my one big negative, which is the reliance on Sherlock as a character. This is difficult for me because, as I said, I love Henry Cavill in the movie, but if you take him out of this story, Enola doesn’t solve the mystery at all, and Moriarty gets away. One could argue that this is a story of Enola coming into her own and that she is bound to make mistakes along her journey, to which I would respond, that was what the first movie was for. This time, Enola should not have needed as much help as she received. Needing Sherlock’s help plays in direct contrast to the underlying theme of women taking control of their lives and being capable and independent. It felt like once again a man had to “come to the rescue” as so many movies have done in the past when trying to make a movie with a young woman as the main character. Although in some movies, this trope is more egregious, and here Sherlock and Enola make a good team overall, it still would have been nice for Enola to have not missed a key detail toward the end that would have completely changed the ending had Sherlock been removed from the story. I may sound hypocritical here: while my favorite parts of the movie were the ones that included Sherlock, that seems counterintuitive in a movie titled Enola Holmes.
Overall, Enola Holmes 2 is another fine entry in this (hopefully) ongoing series of mystery movies for Netflix. I look forward to seeing the story and these characters continue, and I hope that if they are allowed to complete the trilogy, they expand upon the running theme of the first two. I would be very interested in a greater focus on the women’s suffrage movement in a way that incorporates Moriarty as the primary villain. That does seem to be what these first two movies have been building up to. However, nowadays one can never tell how a story will progress. My hope is that in two years’ time, we can sit down for what could be the thrilling conclusion to a well-done trilogy of movies.
Score: 7/10
Enola Holmes 2 is currently streaming on Netflix
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