I was as surprised as anyone when the green-lit Enola Holmes sequel was announced by Netflix in 2020. I guess it wasn’t meant to be a surprise – Millie Bobby Brown’s Stranger Things popularity continues to grow, and Sherlock Holmes has always been a A bestseller, Netflix has had increasing success with some young properties. So, it’s outrageously disingenuous that Enola Holmes 2 diverts from the magic of the first movie so brutally.
Having set up her detective agency in Victoria in London, Enola hires a young girl whose sister has disappeared, presumably dead.
A young detective embarks on an epic quest into apocalyptic mystery and murder to find out exactly what is happening at the higher levels of society.
The overall plot of Enola Holmes 2 is endearing and fast-paced — but it lacks the real excitement and mystery that motivated its predecessor.
Through it all, Brown returns as her quirky and quirky young detective. Her script is no better than the first, but her performance seems to blossom into itself well, creating a Robert Downey Jr. caricature of the heroine.
Unfortunately, the film’s nuances greatly disappointed Brown.
Enola seems to have far fewer single clips or actual comedic moments in the movie, leaving cold, dead air in its place. The film also insists on developing a love interest for the young detective – despite the fact that viewers are constantly told about the content that she was working on and living alone (it’s literally her name on the contrary, guys).
Worse yet: At every turn, Enola Holmes proved she was wrong or just about every character around her guessing her. From tampering with her evidence or taking so long to discover a specific connection between suspects, Enola is portrayed as an inept detective. Maybe this trait is meant to be likable and attractive – and I simply don’t get it – but in the end, it’s frustrating to watch.
This discrepancy is made worse by the fact that Sherlock Holmes… well… Sherlock Holmes.
For every moment the legendary detective appears on the screen, shining through him as the most interesting character in the story. From bare-knuckle brawling and overcoming the police to outsmarting his opponents while curing a hangover; Sherlock is the best detective.
In the first Enola Holmes movie, it was just a footnote to the narrative. An added bonus for fans to enjoy. But in Enola Holmes 2, he has roughly the same screen time as the same protagonist. As a result, it quickly becomes very annoying to see Enola fail when you learn that Sherlock is about to show up and fix all the problems at any moment (and he undoubtedly does it every time). Why isn’t this just a Sherlock Holmes movie? It would be easy to be more attractive.
Sherlock’s tyranny over Enola is made worse by the fact that the amazing Henry Cavill played his part.
The Superman actor really flexes his muscles in Enola Holmes 2, and as a result, he outsmarts everyone else on screen. Even Hollywood fans like David Thewlis (who plays little more than a villainous excuse for a villain) feel totally flat.
I’m hoping against hope that Netflix will go into a spin with Sherlock in the lead, or remove him entirely because he’s so good — especially when compared directly to Enola.
Apart from the Cavill franchise, Enola Holmes 2 makes a competent movie that will entertain fans of first flick, and the set’s impressive designs and costumes are enough to seamlessly draw viewers into the world. Hopefully these details will carry over into a solo movie with Sherlock in the lead (or just better writing for Enola).
Enola Holmes 2 arrives in cinemas today, and Netflix November 4.
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