By Ben Wright (@Iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
Enola Holmes 3 is another enjoyable outing for Netflix’s young detective, but for the first time, the series feels like it’s going through the motions a little. It’s still fun, easy to watch and packed with plenty of charm, but once you peel back the thin layer, there’s just not a great deal underneath.
This time, Enola swaps the streets of London for the sun-soaked coast of Malta as she’s about to marry Lord Tewkesbury. Of course, things don’t quite go to plan when Sherlock is kidnapped, kicking off the latest mystery. Malta is a lovely backdrop, and it’s nice seeing the series move somewhere completely different. It helps the third film stand out visually, even if the story itself never quite reaches the same heights as the first two.
Millie Bobby Brown slips back into the role with the same confidence she’s had since the first film. At this point, you know exactly what you’re getting from her. The fourth-wall breaks still land, she’s as likeable as ever, and she keeps everything moving along. I wouldn’t say it’s her strongest performance of the three, but it’s consistently good, which is pretty much how I’d describe the films as a whole. They’ve always been enjoyable without ever feeling exceptional.
The real standouts for me were Henry Cavill and Sharon Duncan-Brewster. I’ve always liked Cavill’s version of Sherlock because he never feels like he’s trying to steal the spotlight from Enola, but whenever he appears, the film instantly has a bit more weight behind it. Sharon Duncan-Brewster is equally impressive, bringing a calm authority that makes every scene she’s in feel important. I actually found myself wanting more from both of them.
Himesh Patel is great once again as Dr Watson, and Helena Bonham Carter is as entertaining as ever. There’s also one familiar character who’s missing for most of the film, and I think long-time fans will definitely notice. Their absence leaves a bigger gap than I expected.
The biggest problem, though, is the mystery itself.
For a film carrying the Holmes name, there’s surprisingly little detective work that lets you join in. The first two films constantly dropped clues, sent you in the wrong direction and kept you guessing. Here, everything unfolds in a fairly straight line. You’re not really piecing things together alongside Enola so much as waiting for the film to hand you the answers. There are ideas involving stolen treasure, Malta’s history and Britain’s colonial past, but none of them are explored deeply enough to make the mystery feel especially clever.
I also wasn’t completely sold on the wedding storyline. Enola and Tewkesbury still have plenty of chemistry together, and if you’ve been rooting for them since the first film, you’ll probably enjoy seeing that relationship move forward. For me, though, it was occasionally distracting from what I was really there for. I’d have happily traded a little of the romance for a few more twists and a stronger investigation.
That said, I was never bored. Philip Barantini keeps things moving at a good pace, and the film still has the slick editing and playful style that make these films stand out. I still love how locations, letters and bits of text appear naturally on screen rather than stopping everything for an exposition dump. It’s a small touch, but it’s become part of the series’ identity.
I also think this is one of those films that’s simply easy to spend a couple of hours with. Even when the story isn’t doing anything particularly surprising, the cast are clearly enjoying themselves, and that energy rubs off on the audience. There are enough laughs, enough action and enough heart to keep things entertaining from beginning to end.
I do think this is the weakest entry of the three, but that’s more down to the script than anything else. The production is still strong, Malta looks fantastic, and the performances are exactly what you’d expect from this cast. It’s just missing that clever mystery at the centre that made the previous films so much fun.
Enola Holmes 3 may not be the franchise’s smartest case, but it’s still an enjoyable one to spend a couple of hours with. The deductions are a little more obvious this time, and the mystery is missing the twists you’d expect from the Holmes name, yet there’s still enough charm, humour and likeable performances to make the journey worthwhile.
Enola Holmes 3 doesn’t quite solve the mystery of how to top its predecessors, but it’s still a fun adventure with plenty of charm. While the investigation is a little too straightforward, the cast, gorgeous Maltese setting and easy-going tone make this another enjoyable case to crack, even if it’s the weakest file in Enola’s detective cabinet.
X-Geeks 