Movies
“Enola Holmes 2” Is An Appetizer The Entire Way
“Now a detective-for-hire, Enola Holmes takes on her first official case to find a missing girl as the sparks of a dangerous conspiracy ignite a mystery that requires the help […]
“Now a detective-for-hire, Enola Holmes takes on her first official case to find a missing girl as the sparks of a dangerous conspiracy ignite a mystery that requires the help of friends – and Sherlock himself – to unravel.”
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Writers: Jack Thorne, Nancy Springer, Harry Bradbeer
Staring: Mille Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, David Thewils, Louis Patridge, Adeel Akhtar, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Helena Bonham Carter, Himesh Patel
Release Date: November 4, 2022
IMDB
Enola Holmes (Mille Bobby Brown) is back in Enola Holmes 2 with another tangled mystery to solve. Fresh after getting addicted to mystery solving in her first adventure, Enola is now a private investigator for hire. She is struggling to find her footing and is prepped to close up shop…until a young matchstick factory worker enters her office and tells the story of her missing friend.
Enola has her first case as a PI, and it is a doozy. Enola finds herself in a world of murder, deceit and political back dealings. As she begins unwinding the case, she starts to put together various shady characters, like that of Grail (David Thewlis) and others within the police force. Enola finds herself in a bit of trouble, but thankfully her brother Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) is there for back-up.
The brother-sister duo have combative but friendly relationship, and in Enola Holmes 2 they must combine their stellar brain power in order to solve a more overarching mystery. The case that Enola was hired to solve connects directly with a puzzling set of riddles that Sherlock has been trying to solve for months. In the end they both connect to the same thing, or should I say same person.
Moriarty.
This was a fantastic twist in the movie. There is going to be spoilers the rest of the way, so beware.
Mira Troy (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) is the assistant to some corrupt politicians. We don’t see her in the foreground very often at all. In fact, her only true talking point comes at a ball when she tells Enola the language of the fan. Howoever, Mira Troy is always in the room when the decisions of these politicians are made. She is always one step away from the inked pen, which means she is always one step ahead.
Mira Troy is Moriarty. She is smart with numbers, clever with conversation and apt at being invisible. I can safely say that I was taken aback for this reveal. I, for one, did not expect Morairty to be a women. They got me. Credit to writers Jack Thorne, Harry Bradbeer, and Nancy Springer.
This plot twist saves the ending of Enola Holmes 2, which would have been otherwise well over blown with a fist-a-cuff endings.
Those who know me, know I have this hot take. I do not think that Millie Bobbie Brown is a good actress. I don’t think she has range, and I don’t find her depiction of inner conflict convincing at all. I thought this through the first three seasons of Stranger Things (I haven’t seen season four yet, sorry…not sorry). I reinforced this thought with Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). Bobbie Brown is best in Enola Holmes 2 when she is talking to the camera breaking the fourth wall or acting out a rare solo scene. When Bobbie Brown has to share the screen with one of her major co-stars, she is blown out the water.
Perhaps this is actually her biggest talent. The ability to set up your teammates to look good? Is she the non-scoring point guard of Hollywood? Is she the sexy assist distributor who is poised as the star of the show when in reality she is best thought of as strong second billing?
My own subjective thoughts on Bobbie Brown are accented when she shares the screen with her co-star, Henry Cavill. Playing the older brother of Enola, and the more well known detective, Cavill plays Sherlock with effortless cool. Perhaps it is just how I like my detectives; quiet, pensive, observing and sassy. Enola is brash, impulsive, and bombastic. The two different types of detectives has one clear advantage when it comes to acting, and that is Cavill. He has a gravitational pull when he enters the room.
One of my favorite scenes of the movie is when Sherlock politely tells Grail that his theory regarding Enola and the murder is completely off. Politely telling someone to shove it is the best way to burn someone deep; killing someone with kindness always leads to a scar.
While there are entertaining bits of Enola Holmes, there is an entire sequence that could be cut out of the film entirely.
Enola Holmes is accused of murder and sent to prison…only to be broken out by her mother Eudoria Holmes, who is played by Helena Bonham Carter. I love her as much as the next person, but she was entirely unnecessary in this movie. There are flashback scenes with her and young Enola, and this present day wagon chase scene is nothing more than action-filler. Sorry, not sorry, but cut this out of the movie and save the people the viewing time.
The way this chase sequence was shot was relatively boring to me as well. All of the shots of Eudoria and Enola from inside the wagon are shot the exact same way, which makes it obvious that they filmed it inside a box during one day. I understand this is movie magic, but could you please dress it up a little better?
In the title I describe Enola Holmes 2 as being an appetizer the entire way through. My rational with that is that there are good bits throughout. Snackable memories, if you will. However, there is nothing about the movie that has me stuffed with pleasure of satisfaction. It is like you get a bunch of samplers at the bar but then it is 11 PM and you are heading home and all you want to do is stop and get a pizza slice.
Enola Holmes 2 has the fast-paced editing, banter and mystery that makes it intoxicating. It is like a plate of nachos where all the ingredients look something you’d like, but then the plate comes out and the chips are soggy. You are still going to eat it, and enjoy it. But there are going to be bites that are a bit gnarly, and you’ll forget about the whole thing once you get a chance to fill your stomach with something else.
STANKO RATING: B- (3.0/5 Stars)
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