Enola Holmes is back with a new mystery waiting to be solved in Enola Homes 2, and so far, critics are praising the return of the youngest Holmes sibling and her team-up with her famous detective brother. As one of the most popular and beloved literary characters, and due to the state of its rights, Sherlock Holmes has been adapted to all types of media for many, many decades, and in some cases, the artists have made big changes to the Great Detective, his stories, and the characters accompanying him, as is the case of Nancy Springer’s young adult fiction series The Enola Holmes Mysteries.
Springer took Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes and decided to give them a younger sister, named Enola, who is as smart as his brothers, but she’s also quite independent and a rebel, just like her mother, Eudoria. Enola has now made the jump to film thanks to Netflix, and her first movie, Enola Holmes, was released in 2020. Enola Holmes saw the title character (played by Millie Bobby Brown) solving her first cases all by herself, and for her second adventure, she will join forces with her famous brother, Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill). Enola Holmes 2 is scheduled for a November 4 release on Netflix, and so far, it has received positive reviews – and here’s what critics are saying about it.
What Critics Love About Enola Holmes 2
Enola Holmes 2 sees the youngest Holmes now working as a detective-for-hire and opening her own agency, but it isn’t as easy as she thought. One day, a penniless matchstick girl offers Enola her first official job as she needs to find her sister, but the case turns out to be more puzzling than expected, and it ends up connecting with Sherlock’s current case, so the two Holmes siblings join forces to solve these mysteries. At the time of writing, Enola Holmes 2 holds a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, a slightly higher score than its predecessor. Critics are mostly praising Millie Bobby Brown’s performance as Enola Holmes (which is inevitably drawing comparisons with her performance as Eleven in Stranger Things), who brings a smart, brave, grounded, and lovable character, justifying her sometimes criticized Fleabag-like fourth-wall-breaking moments.
Another strength of Enola Holmes 2 is Henry Cavill’s performance as Sherlock Holmes, who is less like the “nice guy” Sherlock in Enola Holmes and more like the classic, more reserved Holmes from Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, and his scenes with Brown’s Enola are pointed out as the best of the movie. The story, however, seems to be dividing critics, though most agree that the pace improved and its set-ups for the future are quite exciting. Here’s what the positive reviews of Enola Holmes 2 are saying.
“Millie Bobby Brown can be a bit stilted and silent in Stranger Things (she is, after all, a super-powered alien who can barely speak English) and sometimes appears to be cosplaying as a 45-year-old on her press tours. Here, however, she’s endlessly charming as a scruffy tomboy with a devilish twinkle in her eye, proving again why she’s a star. Henry Cavill (especially when playing drunk Sherlock) and Helena Bonham Carter seem to be having a blast in their scenes, and David Thewlis is chewing the scenery with wonderfully cartoonish camp.”
“As with the first film, the best scenes feature Henry Cavill as Enola’s famous brother, Sherlock Holmes—or, as the internet lovingly dubbed him, Sherlock Swolmes. He’s a bit more reserved and a bit more peevish this time around, perhaps because the infamously litigious Arthur Conan Doyle estate sued Netflix for depicting Holmes as too nice in the previous movie. [...] Luckily, The Witcher star has plenty of experience playing an irritable misanthrope. His easy back-and-forth with Brown is delightful, and this time around, the sibling banter is tinged with professional respect, as these two world-class detectives work together to solve their case.”
“Enola is having fun, and Brown, a natural born comic with a hydrogen bomb's worth of screen charisma, turns what could be just another disposable tween-and-teens romp into a genuine delight.”
“Separate, Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill are engaging to watch, but together, their chemistry and interplay elevates both of their already-strong performances. It's telling that the sequences of their solo investigation feel dry compared to when they're both on the case. Fear not, this is still Enola's show, though, with Sherlock a supporting character. The sequel ramps up the fourth-wall breaking from Enola, but thanks to Brown's excellent comic timing, it never becomes twee or irritating. With the origin out of the way, Brown is also given room to develop Enola's character beyond the one-note independence of the first movie.”
Why Enola Holmes Still Has Some Negative Reviews
Although most of Enola Holmes 2’s reviews have been quite positive, there are a couple of negative ones, too, and even in some of the positive reviews, critics have pointed out the movie’s weaknesses. Unlike the first movie, which took its story from Springer’s book series, Enola Holmes 2 went for an original story (written by Jack Thorne) based on historical events, and this ended up being a weakness. Critics agree that this made way for a convoluted and unsatisfying plot, which failed to wrap up its own story in favor of setting things up for the futures of Enola and Sherlock Holmes. Some critics also found that the return of most characters from the first movie did more harm than good, as their roles felt forced (as did the romance between Enola and Tewkesbury) and, in Sherlock’s case, he took the spotlight away from Enola’s story. Here’s what the negative reviews of Enola Holmes 2 are saying.
“Of course, this [Sherlock’s case] is related to Enola’s ongoing investigation, which is fine and fun for twists and turns but also feels superfluous and takes away from Enola’s arc. It’s noble that the film wants to embrace family and friendship, but it comes at the cost of a stacked cast, an abundance of moving parts to the mystery, and diminishes Enola’s independence. And that’s without getting into the conventional romantic subplot that blossoms.”
“That sounds like enough material for an entire film — even without knowing that Sarah Chapman was a real person who literally ignited major reforms in the matchmaking world. (She really is a perfect subject for an Enola joint.) Then, the film starts to chug through more, and more, and still more material. Like its predecessor, “Enola Holmes” clocks in at over two hours, but while Bradbeer’s first feature was obliged to deliver all the backstory expected from a film clearly designed to kickstart a franchise, “Enola Holmes 2” just feels weighty, bloated, and convoluted. Not at all like Enola.”
Enola Holmes 2 aims to continue exploring the title character’s efforts to make a name for herself as a detective while also exploring her family dynamics a lot deeper, and while the story can feel like too much at times, the performances of Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill seem to be entertaining and enjoyable enough to oversee most of the movie’s flaws – and its teases for the future of this potential saga are not only exciting for the youngest Holmes sibling but also for the story of the Great Detective.