Millie Bobby Brown is charismatic, funny, and commanding as the title character whose job it is to switch around the expectations of characters of her gender and show us time and again that she is as capable, smart, and tough as her famous brother. Taught by her mother to carve out her own path that's exactly what she does as she flees her own Victorian existence and become her own person. She saves the boy in distress, outwits our fights the villains, and generally shows us who is boss.
Director Bradbeer plays the whole thing with a fun air, having his title character break the fourth wall and speak directly to us. She is charmingly flawed and completely inspiring. Enola is designed to be a role model for girls to see themselves and for boys to respect. Thrown in are far more examinations of racial, class, and gender analysis than I expected from such a crowd pleasing story. The film makes both Enola and her mother more radical than one is used to seeing in such mainstream entertainment. But it all works, being both entertaining and having something to say all at the same time.
Enola appears to be the sort of action hero that could quite successfully head her own franchise of films. Perhaps we'll be having more Holmes films soon.
Enola Holmes
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Clafin, Helena Bonham Carter, Burn Gorman, Fiona Shaw, Frances de la Tour, Louis Partridge
Director: Henry Bradbeer
Writer: Jack Thorne
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