What is Enola Holmes About?

Enola is the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, but unlike her brothers, she didn’t grow up in the customary Victorian fashion. Her father died when she was very young, and her brothers were off in the world for much of her life. That means that she and her mother were two peas in an unusual pod full of combat training, science experiments, and archery in the living room.

At 16, Enola’s life is rocked by her mother’s mysterious disappearance. Her brothers come to the estate, and Mycroft insists on Enola getting a “proper” upbringing as a finishing school. Rather than face this unsavory fate, Enola sets out on her own to solve the mystery. She isn’t alone for very long though, and is soon embroiled in another mystery surrounding a young lord and the mysterious man who is trying to kill him.

What I Thought of Enola Holmes

This was a fantastic cast. Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) is charming as Enola, and her fourth wall breaks add a lot of humor to a story that often takes dark turns. The focus is on Enola, so Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Clafin) only show up a few times, but their combative dynamic and portrayal of these famous characters worked great. (Though unlike the original works, Mycroft is not in fact the smarter brother.) And of course, if I were to cast anyone as an eccentric mother, Helena Bonham Carter would be the clear choice.

Though the story centers on the Holmes’ family and there are certainly mysterious things going on, it doesn’t really unfold like a mystery. There are clues, but never any that the audience gets and is able to process before Enola herself. So this is really more of an adventure than a mystery. That didn’t detract from the film for me, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I thought it was a fun film and a nice addition to the many different interpretations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous works. However, as I mentioned, things can get a little dark and violent at times, so I don’t know that I’d recommend this for kids under 10 or so.

[Spoiler warning] There is a little bit of disconnect for me between the two plots. Enola’s mother is clearly involved in the fight for expanded rights for women and there are some hints of terrorist activities. But the impetus for her running off when she does is really muddy. Perhaps this is a product of the movie being based on a book series, or perhaps a bid to get a sequel to fully unravel the mystery. Even so, the other plotline with the young lord is resolved in a satisfying way.

Have you seen this movie yet? What did you think? Leave us a comment!