Enola Holmes. Deconstructed.

Title: Enola Holmes.

Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter.

Teleplay/Screenplay: Jack Thorne and Nancy Springer (Book/novel)

Direction: Harry Bradbeer

Run time: 123 minutes

Enola. Alone, the word, rearranged. Enola. Alone. Not lonely. Alone. Independent and free. Alone. To choose a future and not to follow one.

And quite convincingly, NETFLIX jumps on to the SHERLOCK bandwagon. With Sherlock as the second lead. With Enola, the little sister, headlining this lovely movie; simply titled Enola Holmes. A NETFLIX original.

Presented as an active first-person narrative, the film draws the viewer in slowly and subtly. Like soaked raisins. Nice and wholesome. The screenplay is quite straightforward, and little Enola, essayed brilliantly and effortlessly by Millie Bobby Brown, is right in the pick of it all. She is quite the revelation, producing and acting at the age of 16.

Based on a 2006 book “The case of the missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes mystery”, the movie follows Enola’s quest to find her mother, Mrs. Eudoria Holmes (Helena Bonham Carter. Pleasant as always). Her mission is muddled with another parallel task; that of finding and saving a certain young Lord Tewkesbury. And during these pursuits, Enola discovers herself and connects with her family in the process.

The pace of the screenplay gradually picks up and before knowing, you are deeply engrossed, waiting patiently for the next frame to unfold. Millie Bobby Brown is brilliant and outrageously confident in her approach towards Enola. She is undoubtedly the next big thing. Like really big. Henry Cavill walks smoothly through his turn of playing Sherlock, Enola’s famous detective brother. And as always, he charms his way through the movie. Certainly, he is a man of detail. The effort he has put in is visible in every frame. The camaraderie Sherlock and Enola share on screen is quite splendid and there are many such moments where the film shines.

Apart from the clever screenplay and good acting chops, I was particularly taken aback with the spectacular set pieces. An in-the-process-of-being-industrialized London in all its glory with the Holmes’s doing their thing. It is quite impressive and the astute attention to detail is brilliant. That combined with fantastic costumes makes for an enthralling watch.

One cannot help but somehow compare this movie with other Sherlock films/shows out there and even while doing so, Enola Holmes impresses. The classic background score only alleviates the tension associated with movies featuring the Holmes’s. Enola is always one step ahead of Sherlock and it is nice to see Sherlock’s younger sister headlining an entirely new possible franchise. During all the crunch moments Enola goes through, the fights included, the viewer keeps wishing that Sherlock might just jump in to save his sister. But not does he. Not once. And there in lies the essence of the movie. It is all about Enola and her journey. From a little girl to a lady. From the mighty Sherlock’s little sister to his brilliant detective sibling; beating him at his own game.

At 123 minutes, the run time is just right. Interesting politics of the era are intertwined lightly into the screenplay. The movie closes on a high note leaving the viewer wanting more.

Watch Enola Holmes if you are a fan of the Holmes’s. If you are not a fan, watch it all the same. Enola Holmes has arrived.

Streaming on Netflix.