Do you like Sherlock Holmes? Do you like Fleabag? Well how about Enola Holmes, a family detective movie that slams the two concepts together into one cat and mouse adventure! The eponymous teenage free-spirit, Enola, must track down her missing mum, all the while staying one step a head of her renowned detective brothers Sherlock and Mycroft. Mycroft has deemed it necessary force Enola off to a stuffy boarding school complete with evil corsets and Victorian comportment. Sherlock, (here portrayed as a cool, amicable, and absurdly buff Henry Cavill), is helping to track her down, albeit perfunctorily.
Acting-wise, it is a really tough gig for Millie Bobby Brown. The sixteen year old has to carry most of the movie by herself, offering the audience a constant stream of fourth wall breaking asides and roguish smirks. And she also has to have romantic moments, get into fist fights, and have plenty of tearful scenes. I'm sorry to say I wasn't always quite convinced by it. I often felt I was watching a kid acting, rather than a character behaving naturally on screen. It's a shame because Brown clearly enjoys working on this material, and judging by her Producer credit, it is a passion project for her as well.
As to the mystery, it is far less than a two pipe problem for the adults in the audience, but I imagine kids will have fun figuring it out. From the trailers, I was expecting a lot more chase between the Holmes siblings, and I think I would have enjoyed the movie more if that is what we got. But once Enola gets some distance between her and her brothers, they basically drop out of the movie for most of the time, and instead we have to sit through a second thread involving a wayward boy count and a rattish assassin. It doesn't feel like an adequate substitute.
As to the Holmes brothers (when they are in the movie) one thing that annoys me is how Enola character assassinates Mycroft in its depiction of him. Much like his appearance in the BBC series Sherlock, Enola's Mycroft is a stuffy, easily outwitted busy body. I mean for god-sakes, Mycroft's entire deal in the books was that he was way smarter and lazier than Sherlock. If anything, Sherlock is the stuffy one. I don't get the point of even having him in the story if he doesn't in any way resemble his own character. Especially considering the movie has a conspicuous absence of Watson, who I suppose could have dutifully served the killjoy responsible adult role. I guess they're leaving the space open for a sequel, where Watson turns out to be Enola's alias all along.
I came away a little disappointed with Enola. The movie wasn't exactly made for a 32 year old bloke, but I found it too long, too messy, and a bit too boring. The movie leaves a few threads dangling for an inevitable follow up movie, but I come away thinking the multiple stories would be better served by a mini series.
Eleven's Entry, My Dear Watson!
Do you like Sherlock Holmes? Do you like Fleabag? Well how about Enola Holmes, a family detective movie that slams the two concepts together into one cat and mouse adventure! The eponymous teenage free-spirit, Enola, must track down her missing mum, all the while staying one step a head of her renowned detective brothers Sherlock and Mycroft. Mycroft has deemed it necessary force Enola off to a stuffy boarding school complete with evil corsets and Victorian comportment. Sherlock, (here portrayed as a cool, amicable, and absurdly buff Henry Cavill), is helping to track her down, albeit perfunctorily.
Acting-wise, it is a really tough gig for Millie Bobby Brown. The sixteen year old has to carry most of the movie by herself, offering the audience a constant stream of fourth wall breaking asides and roguish smirks. And she also has to have romantic moments, get into fist fights, and have plenty of tearful scenes. I'm sorry to say I wasn't always quite convinced by it. I often felt I was watching a kid acting, rather than a character behaving naturally on screen. It's a shame because Brown clearly enjoys working on this material, and judging by her Producer credit, it is a passion project for her as well.
As to the mystery, it is far less than a two pipe problem for the adults in the audience, but I imagine kids will have fun figuring it out. From the trailers, I was expecting a lot more chase between the Holmes siblings, and I think I would have enjoyed the movie more if that is what we got. But once Enola gets some distance between her and her brothers, they basically drop out of the movie for most of the time, and instead we have to sit through a second thread involving a wayward boy count and a rattish assassin. It doesn't feel like an adequate substitute.
As to the Holmes brothers (when they are in the movie) one thing that annoys me is how Enola character assassinates Mycroft in its depiction of him. Much like his appearance in the BBC series Sherlock, Enola's Mycroft is a stuffy, easily outwitted busy body. I mean for god-sakes, Mycroft's entire deal in the books was that he was way smarter and lazier than Sherlock. If anything, Sherlock is the stuffy one. I don't get the point of even having him in the story if he doesn't in any way resemble his own character. Especially considering the movie has a conspicuous absence of Watson, who I suppose could have dutifully served the killjoy responsible adult role. I guess they're leaving the space open for a sequel, where Watson turns out to be Enola's alias all along.
I came away a little disappointed with Enola. The movie wasn't exactly made for a 32 year old bloke, but I found it too long, too messy, and a bit too boring. The movie leaves a few threads dangling for an inevitable follow up movie, but I come away thinking the multiple stories would be better served by a mini series.