Enola Holmes

If it weren't for the irritatingly boring and unnecessarily drawn out exposition, this would almost be a full 3 stars. The final impression is more like a 2 and a half stars. Millie Bobby Brown is quite distinctive though, and outshines both Henry Cavill and Helena Bonham Carter in terms of acting. Overall, this is an interesting would-be extension of the global "Sherlock universe", in which the sister of the famous detective shows a fair amount of wit and general intellect. Moreover, Enola is seen here as a relatively empathetic and almost morally benign personality, something that is often problematic with Sherlock himself. I enjoyed the creative intent of inserting a purely female character into an already existing literary-filmic world of strong male characters to compete for the viewer's attention and, in a somewhat "Dickinsonian" way, show defiance. But if you are expecting a "Sherlockian" detective story, you will be disappointed. Enola Holmes is typical Netfix consumer material, with no special surprises apart from the story itself. (19/10/2020)

Tedious, self-aware/feminist hogwash mixed with a nice kids’ detective storyline that's slightly reminiscent of Harry Potter. Enola Holmes is blessed with a pleasant cast, but unfortunately the directing makes it difficult to find your bearings in the plot, occasionally leading the viewer up blind alleys where they run up against a brick wall, wondering if they missed something. Otherwise, it's a tasty TV snack whose most interesting aspect is Cavil’s Sherlock. (23/09/2020)

A formally interestingly conceived blend between a naive fairytale about a girl running away from the dominant male order of the Victorian era and a coming-of-age crime drama where the heroine is forced to exploit her innate talent in a Young Sherlock Holmes style. The playful self-aware approach is very entertaining and original at times, while the detective line effectively applies Doyle’s narrative intuition, leading the attention through the deciphering of hidden meanings. What it’s clearly lacking, however, is more balance and zest – the formal tricks soon become predictable and, despite everything, the established format lacks a moment of surprise. It’s also missing the charisma of Sherlock himself, I liked Cavill’s portrayal a lot and it’s a shame that he becomes such a passive character. Millie is of course lovely and carries everything on her shoulders with a cuteness that best characterises the concept as a whole. It’s not as smoothly written and doesn’t have the adult humour of 1980s Spielberg, but it’s nice and contagious in its own way. So, 70%. (23/09/2020)

Cute family entertainment where I initially predicted a max of 50% and lo and behold Netflix has another positively received film. Millie Bobby Brown is a great young actress who has already shown her talent in Stranger Things and she only confirms it here. There's not much action here, it's more of a drama with nice production design and a nice period London. Enjoyed it, but it's targeted more for a younger audience. Story***, Action**, Humor**, Violence>No, Entertainment****, Music***, Visual****, Atmosphere***, Suspense**. 6/10. (24/09/2020)

A long-haired Eleven, a safe(?) Bellatrix and a no-nonsense Geralt in a film about the Holmes family, which neglects the figure of the famous detective and puts to the fore his "lonely" sister Enola, who is as fluent in the art of deduction as her big brother. In addition to the excellent cast, I was impressed by the unconventional way of narration, in which the main character directly addressed the audience, which gave the story a humorous edge. On the other hand, though, I have to say that I was probably expecting something more. I felt that its potential was not fully exploited. At times the film was perhaps a little too overtly feminist, but it was still an enjoyable two hours. (25/09/2020)