The Enola Holmes franchise has returned to Netflix with Enola Holmes 2, and in a rare instance in the cinematic world — the sequel is even better than the original.
I adored Enola Holmes when it was released in 2020, and I can safely say that I adore the follow-up even more. Enola Holmes 2 simply takes everything that was loved by audiences from the first installment and gives it room to grow, resulting in a sequel that has just as much magnetism as the first (and then some). With so many elements to this film — action, adventure, comedy, mystery, a bit of romance — it is consistently impressive that the overall tones and themes stay grounded and true to the roots of the first film.
As fun and charming as the sequel is, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t also have some serious topics keeping it running. With women’s rights, toxic workplaces, progressive politics, the importance of unification in the face of adversity, and even a quick nod to gender fluidity all flowing throughout the tale, it certainly has a more important story to tell than the first.
Millie Bobby Brown returns in the titular role and proves her powerful on-screen presence once again. Her performance is endearing, overall phenomenal, and an incredible showcase of her natural charm. It takes a unique combination of that charm and talent for someone to break the fourth wall multiple times and it not become an annoying gimmick, and Brown manages to make it look elementary. This bit of casting is proven perfection, with Brown consistently providing a compelling, light, and knock-out performance for the franchise.
Henry Cavill also returns for the sequel as big brother and the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and while fans were left wanting more of him in the first film, that won’t be the case for the sequel. For Enola Holmes 2, Cavill got to do what he does best and give a rough character soft edges thanks to an increase in screen time and room to expand on his iteration of Sherlock. We get to see what we’re used to seeing of Sherlock — he’s an arrogant, brilliant, and lone-wolf coded genius — but we also see Cavill embrace another dimension to the character in that he is a man trying to reconnect with and care for his younger sister.
In addition to the two returning Holmes siblings providing electric performances, the cast doesn’t fall short anywhere. Louis Partridge is given the opportunity to provide some growth to Viscount Tewkesbury, a much-needed improvement over the first film that he delivers on incredibly well. David Thewlis, continuing his slightly-sinister streak for Netflix following his performance in The Sandman, once again proves he is one of the most reliable and consistent performers working today.
The visuals were stunning and some of the set builds were entrancing (I want to live inside of one of the sets forever, to be quite honest). As visually pleasing as the film is, though, one of my favorite creative aspects of the film was the music composition by Daniel Pemberton, and such is the case for Enola Holmes 2 as well. There were several moments throughout the sequel that the combination of what I was seeing with what I was hearing from Pemberton’s beautiful music gave me goosebumps.
Overall, if you want to sit down and put a movie on where you will laugh, feel emotional, and walk away feeling satisfied by in the end, Enola Holmes 2 is available to stream now on Netflix.
