Photo courtesy of The Verge
“Enola Holmes” follows the character of the same name as she tries to solve the disappearance of her mother after she leaves Enola on her sixteenth birthday. A comedy- and adventure-filled movie with bits of drama, “Enola Holmes” is based on the Nancy Springer novel “Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess” and encourages viewers to focus on their own happiness rather than appeal to society’s expectations.
Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”) was raised by a single mother in 1880s England and shows in the early minutes of the movie that she is not a typical lady of that time period. Instead of teaching her daughter to crochet and cook, Enola’s mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter, “Ocean’s 8”) teaches her the art of fighting, as well as chemistry and other hobbies deemed “strange.” Enola is living her life for herself and not to please others, which is especially clear when she goes on a journey to London to find her brothers, Mycroft (Sam Claflin, “Me Before You”) and Sherlock (Henry Cavill), and solve the case of her mother’s disappearance. On her way to London, Enola meets the Viscount Tewkesbury, Marquess of Basilwether (Louis Partridge), with whom she seemingly continues to cross paths.
The Sherlock of “Enola Holmes” goes against Arthur Conan Doyle’s depiction of Sherlock as being unemotional and withdrawn, as “Enola Holmes” is able to show Sherlock as being brotherly and wanting what is best for Enola. But “Enola Holmes” focuses more on Enola instead of the famous detective Sherlock and the genius brother, Mycroft.
Enola’s story is unlike the traditional tales of the Holmes brothers, since she doesn’t have the same rights as men. But like her mother, Enola wishes to use her mind instead of her beauty to change the world.
In essence, “Enola Holmes” offers motivating themes as well as comedic relief and spot-on acting. The movie is also able to explore the male-dominated world of England during the 1880s including how “absurd” it once seemed for a woman to use her mind.
Because this movie is based on the first novel in a series, there is real potential for a sequel, which could perhaps focus on the second Enola Holmes Mysteries novel, “The Case of the Left-Handed Lady.”
