In Enola Holmes 3 the main investigation is marriage Millie Bobby Brown is once again the star of the Netflix saga
Enola Holmes has grown up. The original Netflix saga, based on the volumes The Enola Holmes Mysteriesby Nancy Springer, has reached its third chapter where it will not only face an international case, but also its biggest obstacle: marriage. For emancipated heroines, ranging from the age of Jane Austen's Regency to the Victorian era of the sister of the better known Sherlock, there will always be the big obstacle of the wedding as a representation of everything the characters have always struggled against, and Enola will be no exception.
Enola Holmes 3: between mysteries, romance and the weight of the wedding
Now in a regular couple with Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), the protagonist (Millie Bobby Brown) has agreed to marry him, having to give up if not her freedom, at least her name. A decision that the older brother finds questionable, while agreeing to take part in his sister's wedding. At least until he is kidnapped on the day of the service, hidden on the island of Malta. Enola will thus be divided between two of the most difficult tests she has undergone so far: looking for her missing relative and understanding whether or not to accept the conditions of a lady of high society.
Marriage becomes the real mystery of the film
In one of the tropes most used in love stories, therefore, marriage becomes in Enola Holmes 3 the center of gravity around which to build a new investigation for the literary protagonist, adapted once again for the platform by Jack Thorne. A screenwriter who pursues an anonymous feature-length film career (whose work on the tetralogy of The Beatles by Sam Mendes, written together with Jez Butterworth and Peter Straughan, is curious) while always enjoying some success in seriality, from the acclaimed Adolescence to the discreetly appreciated Lord of the Flies. And that even with the third title about Sherlock Holmes's sister, he invests without excessive effort in the investigation of the mysterious disappearances that dot the road of Enola, as much as that of the inner investigation that the character must carry out regarding the bonds and the meaning of marriage.
Lawful uncertainties that do not dig deep into the actual consequences of the existence of an independent and autonomous protagonist as Enola has always wanted to describe, with reference above all to the society that swirls around her. Which will remain faithful to its values, both social and emotional, but which remains on the surface not holding the magnifying glass as one would expect from any good detective, even having to give in to the flattery of Netflix who, like the previous chapters, has always appreciated the distinctly romantic streak reserved for her relationship with the young Tewkesbury.
Do Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill convince?
What just can't be overcome, even after arriving at the third film of the saga opened in 2020, is the interpretation of the Holmes family due to the casting of the literary transposition, with a Millie Bobby Brown who, after Stranger Things, struggles to find her own identity on the screen, small or large. Even if the real crime is and will always be to have thought that Henry Cavill was suitable to play a character of such considerable depth as Sherlock Holmes, a living enigma that is annihilated in his performance.
The Enola Holmes 3 review
Proceeding without particular flashes, including the direction that, speaking of Thorne from Adolescence, is taken in the hands of the director of the famous miniseries Philip Barantini, Enola Holmes 3 is a pre-packaged product both in its investigative and personal research. Recited in a caricature and with an atmosphere devoid of panache. A film that can accompany the most tired summer evenings, spent on the couch in the cool of an air conditioner, dreaming of being in Malta not to investigate, but simply to take a good bath.