Movie Review: Enola Holmes

PLOT:

When Enola Holmes-Sherlock’s teen sister-discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord..

REVIEW:

What did I like?

Holmes family tree. Everyone is more than familiar with Sherlock Holmes. Thanks to the TV series Sherlock and the Robert Downey, Jr. Sherlock Holmes films, we’re a little familiar with Mycroft, but this is the first we’ve heard of Enola. I am not familiar enough with the lore to know if she is in the books or someone that was just created. At any rate, it is nice to see that Sherlock isn’t the only genius member of the family. Maybe one day we can get to know the parents. These smarts had to come from somewhere, right?

Tone. It seems everything associated with Sherlock Holmes has a dark tone to it. Hell, even Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective, which is loosely based on a couple of Holmes’ adventures isn’t exactly a lighthearted romp, like many of their other productions. This film, mostly because the protagonist is only 16, is much lighter. The difference is noticeable and enjoyable. Also of note, how often do we see 19th century Britain in the daytime?!?

What is love? It is becoming more and more of a normal thing to not have a love story in films, but when you have teenagers it is more noticeable. Enola meets a boy, but they don’t spend the whole film chasing after each other. As a matter of fact, they are kind of indifferent. It is implied that there are feelings, but that’s about it until the end, and even then it isn’t like they go skipping off into the sunset holding hands. Now, should there be a sequel or further adventures, I would encourage the writers to throw in a bit of a true love interest for Miss Enola Holmes.

What didn’t I like?

Unsolved mystery. One of the main plot points is the mystery of to where Enola’s mother has disappeared. I won’t spoil anything about that case, but I will say that it is never revealed what she is up to or why she left. Perhaps that is something that they are holding for another time, but it still leaves the viewer with unanswered questions.

Useless boy(s). The initial reviews I read/heard about this film led be to believe that this was a hardcore feminist flick. While there are some moments that show that, mostly how they go out of their way to have her 1-up Sherlock and using the term “useless boy” more often than needed. I get that this was a way to establish Enola and how she’s on the same level as Sherlock and that she doesn’t need a boy in her life, but no need to result to name calling.

Casting. Henry Cavil is the titular character in Netflix’s The Witcher, not to mention he’s Superman. It takes some major working out to look the part for those roles, to be sure. Cavill is also a fairly decent actor. However, does anyone look at him and think Sherlock Holmes? I mean, he it literally about to bust out of his suit when you see him in this flick. I know, this is a small complaint, it was just a slight distraction for me.

Final verdict:

What did I think of Enola Holmes? Well, it was much more entertaining that I imagined it would be. Millie Bobby Brown really surprised me, but that’s probably because she doesn’t say much on Stranger Things. The story is above average and the relationship between the Holmes’, particularly Sherlock is enjoyable. Rumor is this is the start of a franchise. No complaints from me on that. Check this out if you get the chance!

4 out of 5 stars

What’s good? #35

With so much stuff on Netflix, it can be a little overwhelming finding something to watch, especially when one scrolls through and half of what they see are foreign flicks and tv shows that they have absolutely no interest in. With that said, the purpose of these weekly posts is to share something that i watch on the service. Hopefully it will help someone find something new…or keep them from something they might have wasted their time with otherwise.

This week I’m going to cover…

Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy, Drama
Duration: 1 seasons (8 episodes; ~47-67 min each)
Cast: Henry Cavill, Freya Allen, Anya Chalotra, MyAnna Buring, Joey Batey

First, let me say it is good to be back doing these “What’s good” posts. In these uncertain times where we are all stuck at home with nothing to do but stream movies and shows on our various devices, this seemed liked the perfect time to bring this back. Second, The Witcher on Netflix is based mostly on the books, rather than the game. There seems to some slight confusion about that when speaking on this series.

Full disclosure, I know very little of the witcher going into this series, other than the aforementioned books and video games (of which i have not touched). It would seems that this a very popular franchise, though, and Netflix is hoping it can turn into the next Game of Thrones.

The series follows Geralt of Rivia, a witcher, as he travels the land in search of coin. An interesting way of storytelling for this show is that there are two other main characters and we follow their lives as well, though it seems to be through different timelines. From my understanding, the next season (which has been put on hold due to the current health crisis) will have them come together.

The medieval setting is great for showing how violent and gory humans can be, not to mention giving us some fantastic beasts to see. Strangely enough, this show tends to try to stay more grounded and we don’t see as many creatures as I would like, but the ones we do see are a sight to behold. As far as the violence goes, well, the fight scenes are great and much blood is spilled, but there is nothing we haven’t seen before.

Henry Cavill, whom we all criticized for being a brooding Superman, is better suited as Geralt, as he is a big, brooding…um, brute? There are times where he does get to show some humanity, but for the most part, he’s just wandering around killing things and swearing when he gets mad.

For me, there are two other characters that are worth mentioning. The bard, Jaskier. Obviously meant to be comic relief, he does bring a sense of levity and fun that is much needed. Hopefully we will see more of him in the future.

The other notable character is Yennefer, who is set to be one of the main characters of this series. Starting out as a hunchback mage in training, we learn more about her past and see an amazing transformation in her both physically and mentally. I must warn you about the physical transformation, though. It is not for those with weak stomachs

With only 8 episodes, this is a quick watch. Those that are into binging shows can probably finish it in one setting. I wouldn’t go so far as call it the next Game of Thrones, though. I feel more like this is the next Legend of the Seeker (hopefully it will last longer, though). All that said, I enjoyed what I saw from this first season and look forward to seeing some more. When you get the chance, if you haven’t already, check it out!