Released: 4th November 2022 (Netflix)
Length: 130 Minutes
Certificate: 12A
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Starring: Millie Bobbie Brown, Henry Cavill, Louis Partridge, Susie Wokoma, Adeel Akhtar, David Thewlis, Sharon Duncan-Brewster and Helena Bonham Carter
Based on the young adult stories by Nancy Springer, Enola Holmes was a delightful surprise in 2020, delivering a smartly written and well directed mystery for the whole family. Two years on and the follow-up creates another charming tale with only a couple of stumbles.
Some time after the first film and attempting to craft her own detective agency, Enola (Millie Bobbie Brown) finds a new problem among the lower classes of London. Working women are dying under strange circumstances in the London factories and a missing sister is the best chance of solving the conundrum. The feisty detective, with help from her brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and the tutelage of her mother (Helena Bonham Carter), begins a new game of wits. This takes her to a range of disdainful locations, often with socially awkward results. Enola Holmes 2 is very much a class conflict as our protagonist finds herself dabbling with the aristocrats politicians and factory owners in her quest for answers. Through a combination of investigation, fight scenes and discussion, the film cuts between the main characters while maintaining a strong sense of intrigue. The ending ties itself in with real history, though in keeping with its family-friendly trappings it does rush through some details to get to a happy conclusion. There needed to be more bittersweet nuance with regard to the rulers at the top of London society.
Enola is brilliantly portrayed once again; Mille Bobbie Brown’s charisma and winks to the camera set her apart from many other detective stories. Her performance is made more entertaining by Enola’s awkward efforts to socialise with the upper class which creates much of the light-hearted humour. The film doesn’t forget about Sherlock either with Henry Cavill given plenty of screen-time to show the two siblings bonding and collaborating. Even the Lord Viscount Tewksbury (Louis Partridge) gets involved in the deductions this time around and the scenes between him and Enola have a real charm to them. Most of the new characters are very well done. David Thewlis is a great addition to the cast; as a ruthless police lieutenant, he injects a dose of devious intent into the proceedings. Admittedly, the women workers, personified by Bessie (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss) and Sarah Chapman (Hannah Dodd), needed more screen time to make their plight more poignant, but the ultimate outcome of their plot thread remains cathartic.
In keeping with its predecessor, Enola Holmes 2 features a highly colourful depiction of London and the surrounding areas with plenty of vibrant sights across the runtime. Much like the popular Bridgerton, fancy balls and costume work play a key role, but these are often contrasted with the flooded districts of the downtrodden and local prisons. The lead characters are placed somewhere in the middle, attempting to find justice for one and exposure for the other; this incorporates the environments fully into the central narrative. On occasion, an awkward transition during the fight scenes can get in the way, but otherwise everything is well framed and executed. The sequel continues the whip-smart edits between live action and diaries that made the first film so snappy. The soundtrack remains fairly traditional, swelling in all the right places and imbuing the action with a solid momentum.
Every bit as charming and engaging as the original, Enola Holmes 2 is a deeply satisfying sequel that continues a stellar approach to witty storytelling, likeable characters and slick presentation. Had it committed to some extra development for the side characters and tightened the ending up, it would have easily matched the first, but the film remains a very enjoyable watch.
Rating: 4/5 Stars (Great)
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