Review: Enola Holmes 2

The second Netflix outing for Enola Holmes came out some time ago and I have been slow not only to watch it but also to comment on it. Here goes...


Where to start? I guess I will start with my conclusion. Enola 2 is darker, grittier, and has a better plot than the first film. There, done. You need more? Very well...

How the film opens

It may seem wrong to start with Sherlock Holmes but how he is treated in any non-Doyle story is always of importance to me. Henry Cavill's Holmes gets more screen time and is better used. He does not overshadow Enola but he has an almost equal presence. I agree with other commentators that Cavill could carry a Holmes film on his own (even though he has played down the possibility.) My only complaint is the (brief) portrayal of him as a drunkard. I don't know if this was done to substitute for cocaine (as with the Warner Bros. films) but I still don't welcome it. I you don't want to portray the cocaine use (which in film targeted at young adults I can understand) don't substitute it with anything. After all, portraying Holmes as a drunkard in a film for young adults is a route hardly free of risk.

The grossly miscast Sam Claflin (as Mycroft Holmes) is nowhere to be seen and I am not shedding any tears. I confess that I have not read any of the Enola Holmes books so I don't know how close his portrayal was to the version of Mycroft contained therein. However, he was leagues away from the Mycroft of the Conan Doyle stories, coming across almost as a cartoon. If they ever do a live action film of the Wacky Races - you need look no further for your Dick Dastardly. But I should stop talking about him as he was not in it.

Mycroft...no, wait!

Millie Bobby Brown turns in a superior performance this time round. The petulance of the first film (Enola's rather than Brown's) is toned down based, presumably, on a little more age and experience (again, the character rather than the actor.)

She is presented as a more emotional Holmes, driven by heart a lot more than head. Her part in the story begins when a matchgirl comes to her, just as her agency is closing down, to seek assistance in finding another match girl who has vanished. Her investigations overlap with those of her brother resulting in scenes where they each try to extract helpful information from the other. The sibling rivalry was entertaining to watch (and, no doubt, to film.)

This may just be my faulty perception but there appeared to be less talking to camera than in the first film which, as something I didn't like, was welcome. I have no doubt it will continue to feature but, if it remains at that level, I can cope with it.

As I said at the top, the film is darker and grittier this time round which I enjoyed and did not expect in a film based on a YA story. David Thewlis turns in an excellent performance as the ruthless Grail (a Grail you would not want to search for.) I will say no more about him as I think it would give away too much.

David Thewlis as Grail

For me, the disappointment came at the very end. After a truly dark final battle the ultimate villain is revealed. The identity was a surprise to me and I congratulate them on the deception. At the same time, I was deflated. Again, this may well have been true to the source material but it was not true to the original material on which the book is drawing. Said villain was a surprise but had no real menace or presence and will easily be forgotten - unless featured in future films. Avid readers of the original books will no doubt know the answer to this

The story draws on a true historical event in the form of the Bryant and May matchgirl strike and the film is presented as the trigger for this strike to commence. This was clever and nicely tied up the film.

I look forward to a third installment and hope a similar standard is maintained. Please let us have a master villain with some real oomph.

Written by Alistair Duncan Buy my books here
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