Enola Holmes 2 is equally as entertaining as the first movie. Millie Bobby Brown delivers another great performance as Sherlock Holmes’ little sister.
Millie Bobby Brown has proven many times over what an incredible actress she is. In Enola Holmes 2 she reprises her role as Sherlock Holmes’ little sister, who very much wants to be a detective like him. However she wants to make a name for herself, and refuses to use him to get there. Fans of the first Enola Holmes will be very pleased with the sequel, as it is equally entertaining and feels very similar — just with a different mystery to solve.
This movie starts off with Enola Holmes having opened her own detective agency. But when a hard to solve mystery comes to her desk, she must enlist the help of her friends and her brother so that she can save a young girl who is in danger.
What Works With Enola Holmes 2
If you enjoyed the first Enola Holmes there is a very good chance that you will enjoy this one. It feels extremely similar in the way it is shot, the way the twists and turns are revealed, and in the mystery of it all. This is a different whodunit, of course, but almost everything about it feels familiar. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but for anyone who was not interested in the first film, this one likely won’t hit with you either.
Millie Bobby Brown is fantastic as Enola Holmes. We already know this and she only got more confident in embracing the role this time around. We see her kick a whole lot of butt with some great action sequences, and tap into her brain in order to put the pieces of the puzzle together. She needs a bit more help this time around than she did previously, but considering her relationship with her brother and the difficulty of this mystery it fits in well with the story.
Speaking of her brother, Henry Cavill is a great Sherlock Holmes and this time we get to see a lot more of him. He doesn’t steal the limelight from his sister Enola, but he does have more time on screen than the first movie. And every time he is on screen, he is a force.
The costume and set design are just as stunning as the first time around, and should certainly be praised for their attention to detail. The plot itself has ties to real history, which makes it intriguing and captivating. As for the dialogue and the development of the story, it is a bit silly — as was the first. Again, Enola Holmes 2 has very much the same feel as Enola Holmes.
What Doesn’t Work With Enola Holmes 2
Probably the biggest issue with this movie is the same issue that the first one had, and that is that it is just far too long. Enola Holmes 2 clocks in at two hours and ten minutes, which is quite excessive — especially for a quirky and fun mystery movie like this. Yes, Millie Bobby Brown is captivating on screen but even she has a hard time carrying this story for this long. There is easily thirty minutes or so that could have been cut from the film, allowing it to become a playful romp of just an hour and forty minutes.
Because of the runtime length, Enola Holmes 2 has moments where viewers could be checking their watches, wondering when the mystery will be solved. As for the biggest reveal of them all, it was too predictable. That said, there are several twists and turns that are shocking and unexpected.
Overall Thoughts
Enola Holmes 2 is fine. It is entertaining and fun. Silly, but not too silly. The problem lies in that it is very similar to the first one, but just features a different mystery to solve. The cast is fantastic and they do what they can with the overstuffed script and quirky dialogue. It isn’t a bad movie, it just feels familiar, slightly predictable, and far too long. Still, fans of the first one are sure to enjoy this one as well.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
NEXT: Netflix’s Enola Holmes Review
About Enola Holmes 2
Fresh off the triumph of solving her first case, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) follows in the footsteps of her famous brother, Sherlock (Henry Cavill), and opens her own agency — only to find that life as a female detective-for-hire isn’t as easy as it seems. Resigned to accepting the cold realities of adulthood, she is about to close shop when a penniless matchstick girl offers Enola her first official job: to find her missing sister.
But this case proves to be far more puzzling than expected, as Enola is thrown into a dangerous new world — from London’s sinister factories and colorful music halls, to the highest echelons of society and 221B Baker Street itself. As the sparks of a deadly conspiracy ignite, Enola must call upon the help of friends — and Sherlock himself — to unravel her mystery. The game, it seems, has found its feet again!
ENOLA HOLMES 2 is directed by Harry Bradbeer, with a screenplay by Jack Thorne and story by Harry Bradbeer & Jack Thorne. Along with new friends and foes, it stars Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, David Thewlis, Louis Partridge, Susan Wokoma, Adeel Akhtar, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Enola Holmes 2 comes to Netflix 4th.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.