Something that Netflix did very well at the time was to get hold of certain movies that were meant to be seen in theaters and ended up streaming due to the pandemic. One of them was ‘Enola Holmes’, which was so successful on the platform that they quickly got down to work with a sequel that comes to us this Friday, November 4.
The fear I had was that they had been in too much of a hurry to carry out ‘Enola Holmes 2’ and that this could cause the final result to suffer. Once seen, I am clear both that it is an entertaining and more ambitious film and that it falls short of its predecessor.
Unequal
The first installment was still a letter of introduction that used effective staging work and a successful assembly so that the character played by Millie Bobby Brown hooked the public. Already then everything related to the mystery was far from being the most successful of the function, happening again in exactly the same way in its sequel. The problem is that this is something that affects the final result more here.
For now, it is noticeable at all times that the script signed by Jack Thorne , who already played that same role in the first installment, has much more ambition on that side, both for connecting the case in question with the real story and for the fact that it delves into the mythology of this universe.
Unfortunately, all the suspenseful part ends up being too obvious and causes a sudden drop in interest in its last act, where everything takes on more solemn overtones and, why not say it, conventional to direct everything towards a resolution that does not feel forced, but yes very flimsy when it comes to tying up all the loose ends.
Lights and shadows of ‘Enola Holmes 2’
With that I do not mean that it is a disaster that sinks the film, but it does completely lose that refreshing touch that stood out so much in its predecessor and that here it is so difficult for director Harry Bradbeer to reproduce despite having opted for the continuity of the same team behind the first installment. Maybe you just ran out of ideas then?
In fact, the only noteworthy absence is that of Sam Claflin as Mycroft due to a matter of agenda, something that ‘Enola Holmes 2’ takes advantage of so that Henry Cavill ‘s Sherlock gains presence, to the point of being the second most important character in the series. function, although clearly behind Brown. For my part, I see it as a success, since the curious dynamic between the two is one of the strong points of the film and also their greater presence is well justified from the script.
I can’t say the same in the case of Helena Bonham Carter , since at all times it seems that the character of Enola’s mother only appears to advance the story at certain times. It is true that she gives rise to some isolated inspired scene such as the carriage chase, but in general terms it only serves to lengthen her footage. And it’s a shame, because the actress shows that she is having a good time.
For the rest, ‘Enola Holmes 2’ works much better during its first hour , since it enhances its lighter touch so that we know Enola’s current situation, allowing us to lay the foundations for that growth as a detective that is developing throughout of the film, since it is initially clear that his abilities are still below those of his brother.
Plus there are other little joys like the hateful cop played by David Thewlis . It is true that the script is too obvious presenting his motivations, but the British actor makes the character his own to shine in each of his appearances, being the one who knows best how to read that the mystery itself is very little.
In short
‘Enola Holmes 2’ is not bad, it goes from more to less and ends up being clearly below its predecessor. All in all, if you enjoyed the first installment, it’s bad that at least its sequel doesn’t serve you to have an entertaining time.
