Enola Holmes 2 Review

 

The game is afoot as Enola and Sherlock Holmes come stomping back onto the scene in this riveting follow-up to the original Enola Holmes. Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill reprise their respective roles in a tale that follows the two detectives as they join forces after their separate cases turn out to be connected leading them to unravel a dangerous conspiracy that will shake London to its core. I myself just saw the first entry in Netflix’s take on the Sherlock Holmes universe last weekend and was immediately captivated by the characters and the world in which they inhabited. So when I returned to that land yet again, I found myself escaping into that rich story world all over again. Enola Holmes 2 is a film filled to the brim with crackling dialogue, characters that jump off the screen, mystery, visceral action sequences, romance, and intrigue. Thus it is a caper that packs quite a punch and is guaranteed to knock your socks off. 

 

In many ways this film harkens back in tone to the days of the 1940s Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes film series with its keen sense of focus in telling the story of foremost a true Holmsian mystery versus a standard modern-day Hollywood blockbuster that just happens to feature Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classical characters. And what’s more interesting is that when we find Enola down-on-her-luck as an underdog and getting into her first real case as a detective-for-hire working to track down a little girl’s sister she uncovers a plot of corruption in the factories which itself was based on true historical events in which women were exposed to brutal factory conditions at the whim of their male managers who were more interested in the bottom line than worker safety. Milly Bobby Brown summons such witty and charismatic energy in her performance as the scrappy sleuth that continues to make you invest in her character as we get to know Enola on a deeper and deeper level throughout her journey in this film. And yet what is better than one Holmes?... Two Holmeses. 

 

 

Brown more than capably carries the picture throughout its first act, so when none other than Henry Cavill shows up onscreen he only adds to he mix, bringing in the necessary fuel to throw gas onto the fire that is about to become Enola’s whirlwind adventure when the two first cross paths in the story in the most unusual of ways... That said while Cavill delivered a perfectly capable charming and debonair Sherlock Holmes in the first film here between his performance and the writing, Cavill really elevates it to the next level as he truly breathes life into the Holmes character. I literally felt like Cavill was authentically playing the Sir Arthur Donan Coyle literary character but seen through the lens of his sister in a clever twist. This allows Cavill to add another dimension to the role in showing off a more familial side to the character and a certain warmth despite his cold and prickly exterior. More to that his sense of wry humor goes well with Enola’s sardonic and sharp-tongued wit making for a powerful chemistry between the two leads. 

 

 

And speaking of chemistry, Louis Partridge returns here as Enola’s “useless boy” Tewkesbury whose romantic pursuit of Enola makes for compelling drama onscreen as he continually insists on her seeing him as a “man”, to which Enola flatly contradicts “you’re a man when I tell you you’re a man.” That story arc ties in well to Enola’s complicated relationship with her women’s rights advocate mother who returns to lend Enola a hand in the midst of trouble and offer her some sage advice about her journey moving forward. So all said, Enola Holmes 2 boasts a cast that has dynamic chemistry amongst each other furthermore enhancing Enola’s journey. And thus while that journey is very much told from Enola’s POV and focused on the classic mystery elements it isn’t without its peaks and valleys giving way to the visceral action nature of this picture. 

 

 

Not unlike the highly underrated Ben Affleck thriller The Accountant (2016), which primarily operates as an investigative mystery / drama for the first half of the movie before turning on the action movie vibe at full throttle for the second half of the film, Enola Holmes 2 also does something similar to this. It brings back the cutthroat action sequences from the original, giving Enola yet another sinister man in a bowler’s hat to contend with. Add to that a high-speed chase sequence utilizing an old-timey station wagon and a tremendously action-packed third act seeing Enola, Sherlock, and Tewkesbury facing off against incredible danger with high stakes. The mystery itself is resolved at the end with a surprising twist that involves a high-society social commentary lens to it with the reveal of Moriarity’s identity therefore further differentiating this version of Holmes from other previous incarnations.

 

 We leave all our principal characters in a good place once the credits roll with Enola having found her place in the world to not operate in Sherlock’s shadow solving cases for the rich but rather to start her own detective agency with the singular goal of helping anyone who needs it with an apt slogan “pay what you can.” And interestingly enough we come to see Sherlock grow and evolve as he has learned how to play with others and to come to enjoy the company of others. This leads his sister to push him to continue forward on this path and she very cleverly arranges for Holmes to have a flatmate introducing this version of Holmes for the very first time to a “Dr. John Watson.” This of course opens up the possibility of a spin-off series of solo Henry Cavill Sherlock Holmes films with Dr. Watson at his side or even just for that duo to serve as a formidable force in the pantheon of supporting players that make up these Enola films moving forward. In any case Enola Holmes 2 rises to the occasion in terms of meeting that challenge of any sequel to match or exceed the quality of its predecessor which this one does in spades. I for one am very much looking forward to the next chapter of the Enola Holmes saga and seeing what else is in store for the ever-charming Milly Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill whether he is Holmes, Superman, or Bond... James Bond.