Summary
Here is a sequel of the young adult adaptation that is so perfectly cast and completely charming that you will eventually forgive them for another franchise installment with an excessive running time.
We review the Netflix film Enola Holmes 2, which does not contain spoilers.
Here is a sequel of the young adult adaptation that is so perfectly cast and so completely charming that you will eventually forgive them for another film with a continuous excessive running time. Millie Bobby Brown is delightfully droll and has shown she clearly has the chops to carry this potential franchise for years to come. With the added screen time of Henry Cavill as big brother Sherlock Holmes, Enola Holmes 2 is an enchanting murder mystery in a franchise that keeps getting better with each installment.
When we last saw Enola, she found her calling and became closer to her some might say infamous brother, Sherlock. Now her legal guardian, while he is out making front page news, Enola has started her detective agency. Remember, she is the finder of lost souls, so why not get paid? However, she is about to close up shop because life as an adult offers some cold truths.
Of course, one of them is Enola cannot get out of her brother’s shadow. That is until our heroine takes a case to find a missing girl, Sarah Chapman (Anatomy of a Scandal’s Hannah Dodd), hired by her little sister. Hannah and her sisters worked at a matchstick factory. Enola thinks the mystery starts there with the matchstick girls all coming down with a strange case of phlebitis (an inflammation of a vein), which sparks, pun intended, a dangerous mystery. Not that the corporate fat cats like Charles McIntyre (Tim Macmillan) care about it.
Based on Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes Mysteries, director Harry Bradbeer and Jack Thorne return for a satisfying, fun adventure film. The secret is the incredible cast of actors and the zany characters they create here. You have the blossoming youthful romance between Brown’s Enola and Paige Brown’s Viscount Tewkesbury, which is adorable and vibrant. Besides Cavill’s knack for action, the series has uncovered a real knack for deadpan humor. Both are developing nicely over the franchise, and there is plenty of room left for well-rounded character development.
You then have returning favorites like Helena Bonham Carter as Enola’s mother, who embodies the film’s comedic tone. Adeel Akhtar’s Constable Lestrade is always a welcomed sight, while Enola’s best friend Edity, played by the always-welcoming Susana Wokoma, brings a wonderful presence to the role. Dune’s Sharon Duncan-Brewster plays the mysterious Mira Troy, who steals every scene she is in with limited screen time. However, the secret to sequels is being able to add new characters. And reliably, the best ones are the villains. I’m Thinking of Ending Things‘ David Thewlis is a hoot as the hardened, cynical, and berating Superintendent Grail.
Enola Holmes 2’s running time is long but never feels that way. The story is well-plotted, and the themes are timely. Not to mention Locke and Bradbeer’s cheeky script is always disarming fun with zippy dialogue that flies fast and furious. This feminist young adult tale is a superior sequel whose characters never overstay their welcome. And make sure to stay for the mid-credits scene, which may suggest an exciting spinoff in the Holmes and Holmes universe.
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