Enola Holmes 3

Synopsis:  Sherlock Holmes’ sister, detective Enola, must solve his kidnapping in Malta.

The latest Enola Holmes story, captained by Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, takes us to Malta for a wedding and a kidnapping. It’s set in the 1880’s but its sentiments are modernized.

Early cinema adapted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s mysteries centered on Victorian detective Sherlock Holmes, but after many decades, screenwriters were coming up with their own stories.

In the silent movie era, John Barrymore appeared as Holmes in Sherlock Holmes (1922), based on an Arthur Conan Doyle stage play. Drew Barrymore happens to be the renowned actor’s granddaughter. I’m actually kind of surprised that she hasn’t done a movie with herself as the detective. It could be a rom-com with Jimmy Fallon as Dr. Watson. Yeah, no.

After dozens of movies starring the likes of Basil Rathbone, Sir Ian McKellen and Ian Richardson, things got shaken up with an action hero Holmes, played by American Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes (2009). Sorry, not sorry, I can’t accept Iron Man as the elegant detective. I don’t suppose we can expect wise choices from director Guy Ritchie—although his S.H. is prime compared to his remake of Swept Away with then-wife Madonna, who can’t act.

Holmes was brought into present-day with the more recent contemporaneous productions Sherlock and Elementary. In the former, Holmes is portrayed to good effect by Benedict Cumberbatch, solving new crimes in London, and featuring a scary-good Andrew Scott as Moriarty. The latter, set in NYC, starred Johnny Lee Miller as the detective and Lucy Liu as Dr. Watson.

I digress— the point is, audiences were in need of a fresh take. Maybe make Holmes a supporting character. Maybe Sherlock’s tailor could get into crime solving? Or his landlady Mrs. Hudson could open a detective agency?

A new avenue presented itself with the Enola Homes Mystery Series books by Nancy Springer in which Sherlock’s younger sister proves herself a great detective as well. Millie Bobby Brown spearheaded the movie production, with the filmmakers choosing Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Adolescence) to pen the screenplays, using the Springer books as source material for the first movie.

Brown plays Enola as spirited and cerebral. She’s also quick to question societal conventions, setting up shop as a detective and learning martial arts. Sherlock (Henry Cavill) is on the sidelines.

Enola Holmes 3 begins with a wedding. Enola and her love, Viscount Tewkesbury. Thankfully, he’s not a privileged bastard, championing public causes in parliament.  I’m not sure how seriously he’s taken by his peers, as he looks like a teenager.

The two are having a destination wedding. I didn’t know that was a thing back then. Wells, as long as no one is going to Vegas, I’m game.

While friends and family are gathering at a chapel in Malta, Enola readies herself in her room at a nearby hotel in Valletta. It looks like the bride has a bit of lip filler for the special day. She ponders her work, narrating that her brother Sherlock helps those with means, while she helps those in need. I guess that means she charges on a sliding scale. Her client in Enola Holmes 2 was literally a poor match girl.

Enola hesitates to start to the church; she doesn’t like the media attention and wonders what will be expected of her in her new role as a viscountess. This is probably how it was when Millie herself eloped with singer Bon Jovi’s son, Jake. How to be a New Jersey rocker’s daughter-in-law?

Millie & Jake ended up having a destination reception in Tuscany. Fortunately, none of her plans were disrupted by a guest informing her of a terrible crime. Unless you count her father-in-law letting her know that he’d be singing “You Give Love a Bad Name” at the reception. In Enola’s case, Dr. Watson (Himesh Patel) rushes to her before the wedding to let her know that Sherlock has been kidnapped from his hotel room. Guess he won’t be walking her down the aisle after all.

Enola gets right to work uncovering clues and following suspicious characters. In one foray she slinks through crowded streets during a parade. The revelers are wearing animal masks, so good luck figuring out whether it’s the fox or the cat who should be followed. After just a couple of days her wedding gown gets absolutely filthy and tattered. I didn’t mind too much because the dress design was pretty meh.

And what of Tewkesbury? The poor groom remains stationed in front of the altar for days, even after everyone has long since retreated to England. Kidding! He and his mum, Lady Tewkesbury (Hattie Morahan) return to the hotel. He seems to feel better when Enola gives him her very good reason for skipping out of the ceremony. But of course, he can’t feel too much better because her brother has been kidnapped. Early on I was figuring that it wouldn’t be a straightforward exchange of kidnappee for ransom. No, that wouldn’t be too mysterious. It will be some arcane motive that Enola must divine.

Enola is working her great detective brain as fast as she can, but more crimes will be committed. Enola will have to endure many-a interviewee being dispatched right in the middle of giving evidence to her. She also gets into a lot of fights with men and women. When she’s not punching someone or deciphering code books, she reflects on crime-solving advice given to her by Sherlock and her mother, Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter). Fortunately, there are no de-ageing effects on anyone because there is footage from the first two Enola Holmes movies.

I liked it when Enola was reminiscing about happier times with Tewkesbury and there is a super cut of them lovingly embracing and laughing together. It was almost as good as the montage of Bella & Edward at the end of the Twilight movies.

Louis Partridge is appealing as Enola’s devoted fiancé. Bless him, he even tries to offer some investigating help himself. I was all set for a steamy scene when the lovers prepared for a midnight dip in the ocean. Alas, the kisses were chaste and they swam in their underwear – their Victorian underwear! I was surprised that the weight of their sodden summer woolen garments didn’t drag them under the surface. But I guess I understand, with Malta being a British dominion at the time. If anyone glimpsed the couple skinny dipping, they would probably have been arrested and shamed for the crime of public indecency and moral turpitude of the highest order in offense to God and King.

In Enola Holmes 3, our heroine gets some help from her friends, but her wits are at the top of the pyramid, so rescuing Sherlock is down to her. She even becomes a bit of an action hero, while the rest of the characters are at their leisure.

With the series performing well for Netflix, expect to see Millie as Enola investigating and dashing around London or part of the old British Empire. Maybe Ganesh Chaturthi in Bombay (now Mumbai) where Enola could chase villains through the holiday processions where idols are immersed in the sea. Or maybe some place dodgy like London’s slums/rookeries rampant with crime?  We’ll have to wait and see where Enola Holmes 4 will bring us.

P.S. I must mention, as part of the Sherlock Holmes pantheon, the adorable yet strange Disney movie The Great Mouse Detective (1986) where Sherlock and the other ‘people’ are mice.

P.P.S. I’m looking into streaming Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes (1962), a German film starring Christopher Lee as the detective. Holmes is endeavoring to recover a necklace of Cleopatra’s. Reportedly, the script is sloppy and the dubbing into English, even worse. Sounds like it has promise as a good-bad movie.

Movie Loon’s Movie Review Shortcut:

Grade:   B

Cut to the Chase: Fast-paced and well-cast. The mystery isn’t profound, but MBB as Enola keeps it engaging.

Humor Highlight: The presentation of Victorian judicial mores as matching Britain’s present disengagement from colonialism. Okay, not hilarious but amusing. On the other hand, Helena Bonham Carter as Enola’s mom, Eudoria, is pretty funny with her impersonations and eccentric dress.