ENOLA HOLMES 2 (2022)

ENOLA HOLMES 2 (2022)

Tagline: Nope.

(Mystery, Action, Matches) [PG-13]

Tis not I.

In this one, Enola Holmes has become a full-blown private investigator like her brother Sherlock Holmes. She takes on the case of a missing girl that leads all the way to the heights of corporate and legal power in London. As their cases intertwine, Enola and Sherlock must come to grips with the idea that she can’t do everything alone. 

First off, I really liked the original ENOLA HOLMES movie, but it definitely sets up more as an introduction film than this movie which is a full-fledged swing for the fences. Enola is the sister of Sherlock Holmes and for the backstory, you will want to turn to the first film. This role is easily mastered by Millie Bobby Brown (GODZILLA VS KING KONG) and asks for her to show range, but not nearly the range we’ve seen her show in other projects. What really hooks me about this movie and the first one is the absolutely delightful 4th wall breaks where Enola is talking directly to the audience. 

Enola is a character that is easy to root for because she is not only very smart but relatable because we get shown how hard she had to work for it. We empathize with her and her pure intentions are just heart-warming as heck. Her mom was what most people would consider brutal but taught her amazingly useful skills that bless Enola each step of the way. There is a really solid blend of humor and suspense all while managing to keep things from feeling cheesy or “kiddie”. 

Acting-wise, Henry Cavill (MAN OF STEEL) is better in this one than in the first film, and more the “Sherlock” I’d expect. I don’t know that I was crazy about the casting at first even though I like Cavill, but he does a pretty solid job and his chemistry with Millie Bobby Brown as brother and sister is actually pretty believable. David Thewlis performance as Grail is outstanding and he plays a good bad guy even in films where he feels a little out of place (WONDER WOMAN). I also thought that Louis Partridge was solid as Tewkesbury and it was cool to see Susan Wokoma returning as Edith. She is actually one of my favorite characters aside from Enola in these films. We also get the incomparable Helena Bonham Carter (ALICE IN WONDERLAND) as Enola’s mother Eudoria. Her performance in this is almost weird to me because I like her in the movie, but could not stand her in the HARRY POTTER series. 

That fact that everyone is pretty much relying on everyone, the PC is kind of ripped out of this movie which was really nice to see. Yes, Enola is probably overpowered when it comes to fighting skills, but she does actually get hurt in the film. They aren’t trying to pretend that she’s untouchable which would have taken this movie into the overkill zone. We do get a simplistic but interesting mystery based on real life, and the introduction of a couple of the most iconic Sherlock Holmes characters ever. This helps ENOLA HOLMES stand above its competition in the “mystery” wheelhouse of 2022. 

Overall this movie is just a delightful blast and quite frankly it’s one of the better movies of 2022 thus far. This is a departure from any of the Sherlock Holmes novels, but the directorial approach is brilliant and well-constructed making the 2 hours run time feel like an hour. 

ENOLA HOLMES 2 is superior to its predecessor and for me, it’s a solid 7 out of 7. Can’t wait to see this series continue moving forward in the future.

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