“Enola Holmes” is a Netflix original based on the book, “The Case of the Missing Marquess.” The story starts in 19th century England with narration by Enola Holmes, who happens to be Sherlock Holmes’ sister. She talks about how she was raised by her mother, going against the normal gender stereotypes and on the morning of her sixteenth birthday she discovers her mother has disappeared. 

So her brothers Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes come home to help find their mother. Mycroft is upset about how their mother raised Enola and wants her to go to boarding school to learn the ways of being a woman. Enola disapproves and runs away to go on an adventure to find her mother instead. We follow Enola’s journey to find her mother, but instead  Enola finds herself. 

The movie has mystery, adventure, and crime all in one, along with an amazing cast. Millie Bobby Brown (Enola) , Henry Cavil (Sherlock), Sam Clafin (Mycroft), and Helena Bohnam Carter (Mother). Harry Bradbeer, the director, also might be known to some. He has a few awards under his belt; from directing a couple episodes of Fleabag and Killing Eve. 

You also may have heard some buzz about the movie earlier because of a lawsuit against Netflix from the creator of the character Sherlock Holmes; Sir Authur Conan Dolye’s estate. The estate is suing for copyright infringement, which means the writers used Dolye’s character; Sherlock, without their consent. The general defense is that the writers didn’t copy Doyle’s character but instead took inspiration from Nancy Springer’s book, “The Case of the Missing Marquess.” Springer is even one of the writers for the movie. 

“Enola Holmes” did a great job on finding actors with good chemistry, Cavil and Brown have great onscreen chemistry, in the way of an older brother mentoring his younger sister. Which is exactly what I felt from the actual actors themselves. Cavil plays a more reserved and discreet Sherlock than previous adaptations, such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Junior, who portray the character more dramatically and are the center of attention. 

In my opinion, I loved the movie. It was very playful and full of twists and turns. It was able to keep my attention and keep me engaged in the mystery. I would recommend it if you love mysteries and are looking for a distraction during quarantine. I would also recommend the book if you like this movie because it is essentially the same plot with more details.