“Enola Holmes 2” Movie Review
“Now…where to begin?”
Enola’s famous line from the first movie perfectly sums up the difficulty in finding a good place to start while discussing “Enola Holmes 2.”
A twisting mystery with even more complexity than its predecessor, “Enola Holmes 2” opens with Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) struggling to open her own detective practice as a young woman in late 19th century London.
No paying adult would consider getting Enola on their case, at least, not while her world-renowned older brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) was solving crimes in London as well.
However, a young girl named Bessie (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss) stops into her office just as she’s about to shut the whole operation down, and asks Enola if she could help find her missing sister.
Enola eagerly accepts the case, and the game is set afoot.
It does take a while to get into the real intrigue and action that “Enola Holmes 2” has to offer. Detective films are tricky because towards the beginning of a case, the slow paced clue-gathering stage can lose the audience’s attention, something “Enola Holmes 2” fell victim to.
While the preliminary detective work to set the scene of the case was a bit jumbled and confusing, it was refreshing to finally get a deeper look into Enola and Sherlock’s complicated relationship.
Enola ends up rescuing a drunken Sherlock one night after he was kicked out of a bar and could barely stand up straight. They walk home together, and Enola does her quirky fourth wall breaking to tell the audience how heavy her brother is to carry alone.
Speaking of the fourth wall breaking, it felt surprisingly natural in this film. Maybe that’s because the audience is accustomed to seeing Brown converse with the camera after the first film, but it gelled with the plot better in the sequel.
There are both new and familiar faces that pop up as the mystery of “Enola Holmes 2” unfolds, including the introduction of Superintendent Grail, played by “Harry Potter'' actor David Thewlis. Grail makes Enola’s job much harder when he accuses her of murder, a situation Enola narrowly escapes with the help of her mother, played by another “Harry Potter” alum, Helena Botham Carter.
One of the most exciting parts of “Enola Holmes 2” is the return of Louis Partridge’s Viscount Tewkesbury, who is now a functioning member of the House of Lords and fights for progressive change in London.
Enola won’t admit that she fancies him as anything more than a friend at first, but when she requires his help to learn how to dance for a ball, the two clearly have a connection that goes beyond friendship.
Seeing Enola and Tewkesbury’s relationship grow and evolve from the first film was a highlight of “Enola Holmes 2,” as it proves that a woman can be strong, intelligent, and independent, but also have the capacity for love. A woman should not have to sacrifice her chance at love just to be seen as “independent,” as the two can coexist without a problem.
The film’s conclusion is a love letter to fans of the Sherlock Holmes franchise, with iconic characters from the original stories making appearances and having large roles in the outcome of the mystery (which proved to go much further than just a missing girl.)
Seeing Sherlock, Tewkesbury, and Enola work together to bring down the villain behind an elaborate, corrupt plot was extremely satisfying and made up for any dullness the exposition of the film had to offer.
Another brilliant aspect of “Enola Holmes 2” is the female empowerment woven through the story. Millie Bobby Brown has not only inspired young female audiences as Eleven in “Stranger Things,” but now as Enola, a young woman who finds the courage to defy any misogynistic expectations society set for her, and who unapologetically makes her own way in the world.
The Sherlock Holmes universe was once geared specifically towards men, but “Enola Holmes 2” welcomes a whole new generation of young girls to the iconic 221 Baker St.
Rating: 4/5
Kaitlyn Murphy is a first-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.
