Something that Netflix did very well at the time was to get hold of certain films that were intended to be seen in theaters and ended up being released on streaming due to the pandemic. One of them was ‘Enola Holmes’, which was so successful on the platform that they quickly got to work with a sequel that arrives 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 so clear that it is a movie entertaining and more ambitious as it falls short of its predecessor.
Unequal
The first installment was no less a cover letter that made use of an effective staging work and a successful montage so that the character played by Millie Bobby Brown engage the public. Already then everything related to the mystery was far from being the most successful of the function, happening again exactly the same in its sequel. The problem is that this is something that here affects the final result more.
For now, it is noticeable at all times that the script signed by Jack Thornwho 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, the whole suspense part ends up being too obvious and causes a sudden drop in interest in its last act, where everything acquires more solemn and, why not say, conventional overtones to direct everything towards a resolution that does not feel forced, but very weak when it comes to tying up all the ends loose.
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 the director to reproduce Harry Bradbeer despite having opted for the continuity of the same team behind the first installment. Maybe he just ran out of ideas then?
In fact, the only noteworthy absence is that of Sam Claflin as Mycroft for a matter of agenda, something that ‘Enola Holmes 2’ takes advantage of so that the Sherlock of henry cavill gain presence, to the point of being the second most important character in the show, 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 its greater presence is well justified from the script.
I can’t say the same for Helena Bonham Carter, already at all times it gives the feeling 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 inspired scene in isolation 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.
Otherwise, ‘Enola Holmes 2’ works much better during its first hoursince it enhances her lighter touch so that we know the current situation of Enola, allowing in the process to lay the foundations for that growth as a detective that is developing throughout the film, since initially it is clear that her skills are still below those of his brother.
In addition there are other little joys such as the hateful policeman 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 best knows 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 clearly falling short of its predecessor. All in all, if you enjoyed the first installment, bad it will be that at least its sequel does not serve you to spend an entertaining time.
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