Enola Holmes Review

This adaptation shows a substantial development in the character [Sherlock Holmes] where he begins to show empathy and compassion.

Enola Holmes is a complex, yet enticing story about the youngest sibling of the infamous Holmes brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft, finding her place in society in the 1800’s when England, London in particular, is held prisoner by old and traditional ideas that women must suit themselves to fit the expectations of society.

This encapsulating mystery drama follows the story of 16 year old Enola Holmes, played by Millie Bobby Brown, as she goes on a mission to search for her mother. However, this main plot line is entangled into two others; one of which is where Mycroft, played by Sam Claflin, is to send Elona to a finishing school for women to make her ‘fit for society’ because she is almost like a tom boy and doesn’t suit societies normality at the time period. For example she doesn’t wear a corset, hat and gloves.

The final sub plot for the film is where she sees romance in the boy Tewksbury, played by Louis Partridge, which in its self impacts the story massively. The film has also changed the tradition perceptive of Sherlock Holmes, brilliantly played by Henry Cavill, because he is usually portrayed as an emotionally incapable person and even referred to as a sociopath in some adaptations, such as BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, but this adaptation shows a substantial development in the character where he begins to show empathy and compassion for Enola even though it’s not shown in gestures to help her but sage advice, as well as his disagreements with Mycroft about ‘remaking’ her for 1800’s society.

The themes behind the story are also quite complex. The film centers around change and reform. Since the film is set in the 1800, it is a world where women are considered inferior to men but this interpretation of that is where Enola helps Tewksbury get to the house of lords, to vote for the reform act. This is also shown in Enola's mother who was a feminist and left to fight for women’s rights all to Mycroft’s dismay, but even Sherlock comes to terms with the concept of the world changing as he is changing in himself and becoming more empathic and compassionate.

I think that Enola Holmes is created with the audience in mind because of the way the film interacts with its viewers. This is done where Millie Bobby Brown looks into the camera and addresses the audience directly, she also does this in the middle of character interactions to add humor and context. It can be hard to break the fourth wall in the way that Millie did, and is most famously done by Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, this is because it takes a lot of confidence and charisma to interact with the audience in such a way. This just shows how talented of an actress Millie Bobby Brown is, especially at such a young age.

My overall opinion on Enola Holmes is that it is an incredibly crafted film which shows depth and complexity of both the story and its characters. Even though it’s a jam-packed, action fueled film it still keeps the audience captivated with the mystery. It’s also made for the modern age with the complexity in its themes of feminism and equality. It is a masterpiece and a nice fresh take on the famous Sherlock Holmes work by Arthur Conan Doyle.