Enola Holmes 3 movie review: Detective Millie Bobby Brown tackles weddings and a new case in a fun, forgettable Netflix triquel

When we first meet her, Enola, Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, is a fresh-faced teenager, highly intelligent but inexperienced in the art of deduction. At an unimaginable address Enola Holmes 3the second sequel to the hit 2020 Netflix film (no need to guess the title of the previous film), she’s all grown up and a hardened detective who can give her brother a run for his money. She is about to marry the handsome Tewkesbury (Lewis Partridge), now a lord.

Millie Bobby Brown reprises her title role in this installment (adapted from Nancy Springer’s best-selling YA book series, which already numbers ten entries plus a short story), as Enola nervously prepares for her upcoming wedding to be held in Malta. Being Holmes, things tend to get in her way. In this case, her brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) is kidnapped, and soon after her future mother-in-law Lady Tewkesbury (Hattie Morahan). Enola must solve the case with the help of trusted Dr. Watson (Himesh Patel). And if you don’t think the nefarious Moriarty (Sharon Duncan Brewster) isn’t somehow involved, you haven’t been paying attention. Fortunately, Enola has the advantage of Sherlock offering some hints about his kidnapper. “Holmes’ person does not disappear without leaving clues for Holmes,” she notes.

This entry is directed by newcomer to the series, Philippe Barantini (Adolescence) features a sequence at the beginning that clearly demonstrates that Enola is now a force to be reckoned with. She is riding in a carriage and suddenly finds herself followed by a man on horseback, whom she takes to be a bandit. Enola fearlessly climbs to the top of the carriage, wearing her white wedding dress, and points her gun at the menacing figure. It’s a strong start to the fast-paced sequel, which, like the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock films, features a lot of action and thought. Later, Enola also engages in a horseback chase and violent fistfights with the evil female.

Although somewhat darker in tone and style than its predecessors, this installment was written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence, Lord of the Flies) features the same frequent doses of satirical comedic narration, which Brown often delivers directly to camera, as well as imaginative animation that seems inspired by Terry Gilliam. There’s a helpful summary of the first two films, as well as several flashbacks that newcomers to the series will appreciate. And frankly, viewers have been coming back too, since Enola Holmes The films, while entertaining enough, are not memorable.

Brown has matured well into the role, showing a new toughness and steadily increasing his comedic chops. Cavill, absent from the action for long periods, remains a commanding presence as the most engaging Sherlock ever, while Helena Bonham Carter is reliably entertaining once again as Enola and Sherlock’s sarcastic mother Eudoria. Even if the veteran actress has to deliver generic lines like “The answers we receive are rarely the answers we seek.”

Enola Holmes 3 It suffers from sluggish patches, including too much discussion of relationship issues and romantic montages such as a lyrical swimming sequence featuring lovebirds Enola and Tewkesbury that reads like the cover of a teen romance novel. But the film redeems itself with its strong anti-colonial message, which provides a surprisingly serious element to the events that revolve around the escape.