Enola Holmes 2 fails is popcorn cinema, both enjoyable and forgettable
I do recall enjoying the first Enola Holmes movie, but what I quickly realized while watching the second one, is that I remembered almost nothing about the first. And, there is nothing wrong with that. Consumable and enjoyable popcorn movies are important to cinema.
That is what the Enola Holmes movies are – forgettable, yet enjoyable.
Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) finds herself about to close the doors on her private detective business, when the mystery of a missing girl crosses her path. We soon learn that the mystery and the story are much bigger than just a missing girl.
And, of course, Enola finds herself simultaneously helping and being helped by older brother, Sherlock (Henry Cavill), the more famous and successful of the two Holmes detectives.
The story is at its best when it is a mystery with the characters deducing and detecting the way we expect them too in a mystery movie.
However, there are moments of utter nonsense that made me want to turn the movie off as well. Brown and costars Helena Bonham Carter and Susan Wokoma find themselves in an all-out action sequence with Scotland Yard officers. The sequence is silly and makes the movie feel like its target audience is six-year-old children rather than your average movie watching audience.
Additionally, the movie packs a lot into a short amount of time and becomes over complex and convoluted leading to a predictable climax.
But all of that is to be expected with throwaway popcorn entertainment. By the time a third movie comes out, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it, but have forgotten this one too.
Gordon’s Grade: B-
