Netflix's Enola Holmes: Is it worth the hype? Here are 4 reasons you should watch it

Move over Sherlock, another Holmes is taking the spotlight.

The legendary fictional detective has seen his fair share of iterations in recent pop culture — fans will fondly remember Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr — but now, his sister Enola is joining the fray.

On Sept 23, Netflix's Enola Holmes — the film adaptation of the book series that follow the adventures of Sherlock's younger sister — will be dropping on the streaming platform. The film has rounded up a cast of big names such as Millie Bobby Brown (who plays Enola), Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Fiona Shaw, and Helena Bonham Carter.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTcLwj1vBKA[/embed]

In this film, the first of what is possibly a series, 16-year-old Enola sets off on her own to solve her mother's mysterious disappearance while trying to evade her brothers Sherlock and Mycroft.

We got our hands on a preview of the film and here are four reasons why we think you should watch it.

Warning: spoilers ahead.

1. Henry Cavill

After his turn as Superman in the DC Extended Universe, and then the Witcher on Netflix, Henry is our newly minted internet boyfriend. If you need more proof, just look at how a simple video of him building a gaming PC went viral. Or the fact that the collective internet joked about watching Enola Holmes just to see Henry when he isn't even the lead of the show.

In a roundtable interview with regional media today (Sept 11), Millie described working with Henry (and Sam) as an "incredible" experience and a "collaborative effort".

This iteration of Sherlock is rather different. He is a man of few words, and Henry gets to show off a more vulnerable and emotional version of the character. He isn't as brusque and lacking in warmth, and eventually looks out for Enola. But whether that's because he's taken an interest in her wit or he genuinely cares for her, it's unclear. After all, we know Sherlock loves a good mystery and Enola is one.

2. A capable coming-of-age story about being true to yourself

Enola Holmes is fundamentally a coming-of-age story and how the character grapples with a world that doesn't accept her. And Enola's reticence to conform even puts her at odds with her family as her brother Mycroft wants to ship her to a private school to learn how to be a lady.

The break-out-of-the-mould trope is a common one, but this isn't a fault of the script. In fact, the film does a very good job of showing, not telling — apart from Enola breaking the fourth wall — when it comes to the themes they want to convey.

Like when Enola manages to outsmart Sherlock at the end, viewers are organically gleaning the themes of empowerment and self-actualisation that actually forms the DNA of the script.

3. Watch Millie Bobby Brown kick ass and take names

Despite the film taking place in 1884, Enola isn't a stuffy English lady who conforms to the gender role that society laid out for her. So it wasn't a surprise that she was going to get down and dirty, as she takes on an assassin twice her size. 

And 16-year-old Millie pushed to perform her own stunts even when she was dissuaded from doing so. She added: "I think the stunts for me were very fun and an experience in itself. I was actually never tired while doing stunts... that was the easy part."

4. It's actually fun

In a time where shows and films are trying to give more depth to their story, either by exploring political and social issues or creating a mind-bending experience like Tenet, Enola Holmes just wants to be fun and light-hearted. 

The message of feminism and empowerment never detracts from the humour, wit and the mystery. All of which adds up to an enjoyable experience and the formula works because it made suspension of disbelief easier for me.

Even with a current digital landscape that offers you access to more shows than you can handle, I never once felt the pull to stop. With Millie Bobby Brown's charm, Henry's quiet, silent charisma, and an engaging plot, Enola had me captivated, apart for a little pacing issue in the middle.

That said, the show's central mystery — Enola's maiden case that kickstarts her sleuthing adventures — was a little anti-climatic and left few crumbs for viewers to figure out whodunnit on their own. In fact, the script could have dialled up the mystery and given Sherlock more to do besides being Enola's cheerleader.

If you're hoping for him to come up with brilliant deductions based on subtle clues like BBC's Sherlock, or mentally calculate the trajectory of a punch like the other film version of Sherlock, you might be sorely disappointed.

Nevertheless, I'm definitely hoping for a sequel to tie up the one major mystery left kind of unsolved.

As Sherlock says, the game is afoot.

bryanlim@asiaone.com