ENOLA HOLMES 3 – Review by Valerie Kalfrin
In the sprightly entertaining Enola Holmes 3, Sherlock Holmes’s headstrong younger sister susses out not just how and why her brother vanished but what kind of Victorian-era woman she wants to be.
Having made a name for herself as a sleuth in the previous Netflix films, Enola (Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things) finds herself torn on her wedding day between her love for the young politician Tewkesbury (Lewis Partridge, House of Guinness) and literally taking on his name as a proper Victorian lady. That she might have to give up detecting as well gives her pause enough to set out late for the ceremony, only to learn from Dr. Watson (Himesh Patel, Bait) that Sherlock (Henry Cavill, In the Grey) is missing.
The Holmses, Watson, and the wedding party had decamped for the nuptials from London to the island of Malta, a British colony with happy memories for Tewkesbury’s mother (Hattie Morahan, The Gilded Age). Yet it isn’t long before Enola discovers animosity from locals such as Mikiel (Joe Azzopardi), who wants a free Malta; a wartime conspiracy; and a powerful woman pulling some strings. Could it be their old adversary, Moriarty (Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Washington Black)?
Well, yes, considering Holmes and Moriarty go together like tea and crumpets, but that won’t spoil the fun of Enola Holmes 3. Director Philip Barantini (Adolescence) is new to the series, which began in 2020, but he and returning screenwriter Jack Thorne (Lord of the Flies, Adolescence) nimbly juggle the mystery and banter with a refreshing smattering of social critique for a PG-13 family adventure. (Tewkesbury advocates for the lower classes in the House of Lords, opening him to some snide comments from other Brits. Enola, who hates to lean on her British privilege, finds some assumptions come in handy when accessing certain places.)
Brown, also a producer here, is engagingly charming, whether she’s breaking the fourth wall, sparring with authorities, or navigating with Tewkesbury about the future of their relationship. The rest of the cast is uniformly fine, although Helena Bonham Carter (Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials) as mum Eudoria Holmes, a fugitive demolition specialist, blows the lid off every scene, whether emerging from a cloud of smoky mayhem or crashing a private moment.
Editor Tommy Boulding weaves in plenty of quick montages to bring viewers up to speed, intercut with clues and deductions that swirl via special effects and fisticuffs where Enola gives as good as she gets. Cinematographer Matthew Lewis makes the most of Malta’s natural light and scenic locations, including cliffside views and dusty carriage roadways. (Spare a thought for costumer Consolata Boyle, whose opening wedding dress design, among others, tend to go through the mill once the game is afoot.)
Overall, Enola Holmes 3 is an energetic whodunit, taking its older, still spirited protagonist through some slightly more mature territory.
