I've been looking forward to this for a while now. Helena Bonham Carter is one of my role models and I do love me a bit of Henry Cavill so here we are.
Now I mentioned about wanting to see a few things on Netflix to my mum and she came out and said she had seen this advertised somewhere and with us both being avid Holmes fans she wanted to see it, so on my rare weekday off we sat and watched it.
I have to say, I was really impressed! I wasn't sure about Sam Claflin or Millie Bobby Brown but both of them knocked my socks off. I've seen a lot of press in various Sherlock related groups that I am part of that they just didn't like the way Claflin portrayed Mycroft. What we must remember is this was set far before the days we all know these characters from. This is pre-Watson, all of our characters are young, they are yet to mellow and become sensitive and wise. Mycroft is still transitioning into power and status is everything.
It has also become quite apparent to me that we have become so focused on the original sibling duo that we are quite reluctant to explore any changes in regards to a third Holmes child. We haven't had enough exposure to the Holmes sister in order to form the relevant character interaction. Sherlock brought in Eurus as a villain trope, we always knew with both Mycroft and Sherlock that they tread a very careful line between right and wrong, and good and evil. With that knowledge it was no surprise that the third Holmes child had fully crossed that line in order to sate her curiosity on what she could and couldn't do, and as a side effect of her own superiority complex she could not cross back over to the 'right' side.
Obviously when exploring a character so young as 16 year old Enola, there is no way to know she wouldn't turn into a Eurus, but it is quite clear from the way all three Holmes children are shown that we are firmly on the good side. Even Sherlock himself is a firm good guy and less chaotic. It makes you wonder whether or not a sister will be introduced to the third Sherlock Holmes film, and if so what side of the line she will be on.
I think the subject of a third Holmes sibling is also a little taboo, there was never one featured in the original texts, not to say that there wasn't one of course, it was just a case of characters that were necessary to the plot were involved, there was no need to delve into Sherlock's history or family other than Mycroft who was quite pivotal in some stories. There was also, of course, the fact that Arthur Conan Doyle detested his own creation, so perhaps he didn't feel it needed to have entirely fleshed out characters, we enjoyed the basics and so the basics we shall have.
This of course has led to various interpretations of a third Holmes child, more often than not a sister, although there is a theory of an eldest brother, and in terms of a sister there is no concrete name as she is led down to the current creators expression. Andrew Lane christened her Charlotte, Nancy Springer gave her the name Enola, and obviously the BBC threw Eurus at us, so who really knows?
Anyway, back to the film. I liked how independent Enola is. At first she struggled because although brought up to be able to cope on her own she was still very much in her mothers company, so found it hard to adjust to being 'alone'. It did not take her long to find her bearings however and she soon lived up to the Homes name sake. I liked how bold and brash this character was, and Millie did her justice as she's quite cheeky and bold in real life, so fit her perfectly.
I didn't think I would grow to like Viscount Tewkesbury, upon his first encounter with Enola he was cocky and he annoyed me, as soon as he got to finally become himself he was this ball of fluff and a thoroughly enjoyable character. The chemistry between the two characters was brilliant as well. They are too young for it to be explored now but during their future run ins there will definitely be some exploration of feelings. THEY WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER. But of course in typical dramatic fashion it won't be a typical get together, they will be forced to show emotion and get married, and I for one and here for it!
On the subject of Mycroft, yes he seemed a little stricter and more rigid than we have come to know him. But again, at that point of his life he was headed to 'become the British government' and therefore status and power was everything, having a wild child rear her head and bring everything crashing down around their ears while hunting for mother was just not acceptable for his image. It's bad enough baby bro Sherlock is causing havoc with criminals. He needs to cement his place in power before he can become 1. fat and 2. ever so slightly emotional for his siblings welfare.
As for Sherlock I feel like Cavill was a nice fit. He is proper, and yet fair in his younger days, and in the instant of his sister at least, is able to display a more human side than he will allow anyone else to see, rather than the methodical detective we have come to love, we see a sweeter, more caring approach later seen when he comes to care for dear Watson. I did note that Henry seems a little more American-ised nowadays and despite being as British as they come, he did have a slight accent slip during a scene where for some reason he sounded more American than English. I do it all the time and I've only ever left England for France twice, yet somehow come out with all sorts of weird sound accents, perhaps it's exposure from all the different people I speak to on a daily basis...
Mummy Holmes was a curve ball, I won't lie. She is different to how you would have expected her to have been due to the example of her boys, but I am some how here for it. All three children must have had similar upbringings therefore at some point although intelligent, they were wild too. On the subject of wild, there was no one better than Helena to play her, let's be honest here. The most inspirational woman in Hollywood (in my opinion), she taught me it is okay to be different and to love myself for it, and I will forever be grateful to her for that.
Shout out to Burn Gorman by the way, I haven't seen him in anything since Pacific Rim: Uprising but that's just as I am out of the loop. I like to see actors who brought me so much comfort during my childhood pop up in other things, I know him best from Torchwood obviously, but his role in this, although violent and not his most prominent of characters, was appreciated none the less.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this take on the Holmes legacy and I have found a new book series to look into because of it so that is always an added bonus. Overall then I am going to give the enigmatic Enola Holmes a 7/10. It was engaging, it was fun, and finally us girls get to have a Holmes role model as well, perhaps even equal to the great mind of Sherlock Holmes. I'd give it a go, it was released on Netflix at some point last week so give it a whirl!
As always my lovely people, stay safe, have fun, try and look on the bright side of things, and observe, use that brilliant brain of yours! Bye for now!!
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