'Enola Holmes 3' review: Sherlock's sister takes over the game
Sherlock Holmes' sharp, fearless sister Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) is all grown up and headed for sunnier European shores, as Enola Holmes 3 throws an international case on her desk and a wedding date on her calendar.
Based on Nancy Springer's The Enola Holmes Mysteries and adapted by Jack Thorne, the Netflix films have seen the British detective solve the case of the missing mum and the case of the missing sister. Now, with Adolescence director Philip Barantini on a much more upbeat project, Enola Holmes 3 sees her off to Malta. And Enola's got a lot on her plate: She's conflicted about tying the knot, and her famous brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) has been kidnapped, leaving behind only cryptic notebooks for Enola to decipher.
With another playful performance from Brown and her accomplished co-stars, and a Victorian narrative that surprisingly acknowledges Britain's bloody colonial legacy, Enola Holmes 3 files another satisfyingly twisty case for the franchise. And this time, we finally get to hang out properly with Dr. John Watson (Himesh Patel).
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Enola Holmes 3 sends Victorian London's heroes to sunnier shores.
Leaving the perilous alleyways of Victorian England behind, Enola Holmes 3 sends our young sleuth to sun-drenched Malta, where another adventure awaits: marriage. Despite Sherlock's grumblings about losing that all-important Holmes name to an aristocrat, she's engaged to her dear Lord Ernest Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). However, Enola's increasingly cold feet lead to something much more chilling: missing family members and a sinister plot.
But while Sherlock's sister may be in a completely new setting, the elements of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work have followed her to Malta — as have the charming Enola Holmes-style collage animations and sketches. Though it's not set on Baker Street, watching Enola teaming up with Watson or in hand-to-hand combat with Moriarty is a pure Sherlockian delight, with the young heroine really getting to step into her brother's shoes this time around — with hand-drawn CSI effects highlighting clues and forensic detail.
Sharon Duncan-Brewster is truly chilling in her unnerving interpretation of the villainous Moriarty. Henry Cavill ruffles his debonair version of the famous detective. And Helena Bonham Carter seems to have a ball as Enola's vigilante mother, Eudoria. Thankfully, we get much more time with Patel as the Watson, as the actor brings charm, elegance, and care to Sherlock's future companion — and watching Enola and Watson bitch about Sherlock's worst habits is long overdue.
Millie Bobby Brown's Enola remains on the case.
As the titular heroine, Brown has plenty to balance. While bringing that Holmes-style energy, wit, and curiosity to her investigative side, the star also embraces Enola's struggle with societal expectations, of choosing her now-established career as a Holmes or her marriage as the future Lady Tewkesbury. Enola's Fleabag-style fourth-wall breaking remains an engaging tool for Brown to lean on, though it does have a cheesy "you're probably wondering how I got here" effect at times. Nonetheless, she also kicks ass with impressive stunt sequences, jumping across balconies in burning buildings, firing guns from speeding carriages, and doling out some brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Brown also makes a sweet pair with Partridge, as the film crafts an adorable grown-up romance for the detective and the viscount. And Brown and Cavill's now worn-in relationship as the Detectives Holmes feels authentic, as Enola relies on her brother's teachings to track him down.
Barantini and editor Tommy Boulding weave Enola's memories from the first two films into her present, providing a handy recap of character bonds. But there's still plenty to reveal, secrets which lead Enola Holmes 3 into delicate territory.
Enola Holmes 3 acknowledges British colonialism within its twisty mystery.
It's not the first thing you'd expect in a teen adventure movie, but as an adaptation of Victorian literature, Enola Holmes 3 acknowledges the painful legacy of British colonialism in theme and narrative.
Set within the late 1880s in the Victorian era, the Enola Holmes series has already successfully dabbled in real events, with the Matchgirls Strike fuelling the narrative of Enola Holmes 2. In the third film, the reach of Empire is no abstract concept and instead a present reality, with the Anglo-Afghan Wars factoring into the storyline, and the film's Malta setting as a Crown Colony proving loaded territory for the characters.
The Malta we watch Enola in — as she trawls through crime scenes and chases leads through a carnival — is one of beauty, but also British sovereignty. Maltese characters are openly deemed second-class citizens, and Enola becomes enlightened, especially when she teams up with Mikiel Mizzi (a great Joe Azzopardi) of the real Partito Anti-Riformista, who resist the Crown. This does hinge on virtue-signalling for the heroine, but it's an acknowledgment by the franchise of the realities of the romanticised period.
Exactly how far characters would go "for queen and country" becomes an underlying consideration. Watson reflects on his father's role during British Raj, and Enola realises her wealthy British privilege. However, Enola Holmes 3 is not a history lesson, merely a reflection of the context it's set within.
As the third chapter in this mystery history trilogy, Enola Homes 3 gives our young detective a high stakes case to crack, a sweet, enduring love story, and real-world context to consider.
Enola Holmes 3 is streaming on Netflix July 1.
Topics Netflix
Shannon Connellan is Mashable's Senior Editor, General Assignments, based in London. She has been Mashable's UK Editor (and still manages the illustrious UK team) and Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives searching for Exit 8. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror, and loves to nerd out with movie stars, filmmakers, and TV creators.
