Enola Holmes (2020) Movie Review

 

Enola Holmes | 2020 | 2h 3m
Genre: Cozy Mystery / Dark Comedy / Teen Adventure / Teen Drama / Whodunnit / Adventure / Crime / Drama / Mystery
Country: UK-US
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Writers: Jack Thorne, Nancy Springer, Arthur Conan Doyle
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin
IMDB: 6.6
My Rating: 9/10

Enola tries to find the whereabouts of her mother, who suddenly disappears, by embarking on a thrilling adventure, especially when she must avoid being found by her brother who wants to send her to boarding school, and when she accidentally gets caught in a murder conspiracy involving Tewkesbury.

Warning:

Contains scenes of violence and strong language.

 

Synopsis:

Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) lives alone with her mother, Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter), after the death of her father and the departure of her two brothers, Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin). However, on her 16th birthday, her mother disappears. Sherlock and Mycroft are then forced to return home.

Enola is very happy with the arrival of her brothers, but the joy does not last long after seeing their indifferent attitudes toward her. Mycroft plans to send Enola to boarding school because he considers her behavior not to be that of a proper lady, and Enola needs to learn about that. While Sherlock acknowledges Enola’s intelligence, he cannot do much since custody rights lie with Mycroft.

Enola, using clues from her mother’s birthday gift, manages to find money hidden by her mother. She then runs away with the intention of finding her mother’s whereabouts. On the journey, Enola accidentally meets Tewkesbury, who is also running away from home and is apparently in danger, being pursued by a hitman.

After successfully saving Tewkesbury, they go to London and part ways there. Enola returns to her initial goal of investigating her mother's whereabouts. She disguises herself to avoid being found by Mycroft’s men. However, Enola ends up dealing with the assassin pursuing Tewkesbury and decides to investigate the matter further.

Will Enola manage to find her mother and save Tewkesbury?

 
Review:

Enola Holmes is adapted from The Enola Holmes Mysteries series by Nancy Springer, specifically the first book The Case of the Missing Marquess. Many viewers who are also Sherlock fans felt a bit disappointed with this film. However, what we need to underline is that this film is not meant to portray Sherlock as the main character, but rather Enola. So there may be slight differences in the character of Sherlock as represented in this story compared to in the original Sherlock stories.

Who just found out that Sherlock has a sibling? Yup, that’s me. Hehe.

The story presented was beyond expectations. At first, it felt like one needed to mentally prepare for the film being too heavy and boring like most detective films. However, it turned out to be the opposite. The film is quite light and is presented in an interesting and unique way. Even so, we still get to see various mysteries that need to be solved.

The narrative is built very well and seems to invite the audience to be part of the story. This is shown through Enola speaking directly to the camera, as if we are part of her journey. These scenes are also presented in the right proportion and not too frequently.

One possible downside for hardcore mystery fans is that the story may not be very challenging. This is due to the puzzles being explained clearly, making it easy for the audience to understand. Nevertheless, the presentation of the clues and puzzles remains impressive.

The story begins very well. The background or foundation of the main character’s story is explained thoroughly, from the family lineage to the problems within that family. Including the mysterious side of Enola’s mother, which she had hidden all this time. Then, the main issue that drives the story arises—her mother's disappearance and the arrival of her brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. The differences in how they think and respond to the problem also become the foundation for the ensuing conflict.

If we look closely, the conflicts that arise are not only external ones about the case or mystery. We can also see internal conflicts within each character. Enola, who feels her family does not want her—strengthened by her mother’s departure, Mycroft wanting to send her to boarding school, and Sherlock who seems indifferent. Mycroft feels responsible for maintaining the family’s reputation and future. Sherlock also has his own doubts after seeing Enola.

Not only that, important issues are also highlighted, such as feminism and political engineering. The topic of feminism can be seen from some dialogues that state women are only destined to be wives and must not do things considered “shameful.” Meanwhile, the main female characters in this film—Enola, her mother, and several other women—have a strong desire to change that perception. The political issue is seen in the case of Tewkesbury, who is targeted for murder in order to silence his voice.

The story’s conflict is resolved very well. Each problem has a satisfying conclusion. The character development of each figure is also clearly visible, such as Enola and Tewkesbury maturing, and the changing perspectives of Sherlock and Mycroft. Plus, of course, the mystery of Enola’s mother’s disappearance is solved.

Millie Bobby Brown gives a captivating and natural performance. No wonder this earned her awards such as Favorite Movie Actress at the 2021 Kids’ Choice Awards and Youth in Film – Female at the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards. The other actors also gave maximum performances—even the seemingly small roles still had a big impact on the storyline.

The cinematography is quite unique. The camera successfully captures and presents important details needed for the story on screen. The transitions and editing between scenes are also smooth. Added to that is the choice of wardrobe that is appropriate and not excessive. The music and sound effects chosen also build the atmosphere of the scenes very well.

Overall, this film is very interesting to watch because it not only presents mysteries to be solved, but also includes thrilling action scenes and touching family drama.

 

Memorable Scene:

Sherlock visits Enola at the boarding school bringing a childhood toy she used to play with. Sherlock says that their mother was the one who kept the toy and always considered Enola to be an extraordinary child. Sherlock seems to be saying that their mother’s departure was not because she didn’t love Enola.

In this scene, we can see how Enola feels slightly relieved by that. She had been questioning the reason for her mother’s departure and slightly doubting her mother’s love. Just as she feels unloved, especially with brothers who seem indifferent to her.

 

Memorable Quote:

“Our future is up to us”

 

Ending:

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation:

Must watch

 

(Aluna)