Exclusives | Sep 24, 2020 11:30 AM EDT

Enola Holmes Review: What Critics Say About Netflix's New Film

By Alexandria Kim

Enola Holmes Netflix — (Photo : Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Netflix finally introduced Sherlock Holmes' sister through the film "Enola Holmes," and it got several good reviews and some mixed reactions from critics.

Sherlock's character does not need to prove anything. Whether it is a book, series or film, everyone knows that the already-famous character can bring millions to its creators.

But the question now is: can her sister leave the same impression to film enthusiasts?

On September 23, the streaming giant Netflix introduced "Enola Holmes" to the public. The story centers on the life of Sherlock's teenage sister, who starts a journey in pursuit of finding her missing mother.

The film, based on Nancy Springer's novel "The Enola Holmes Mysteries," has a star-studded cast.

Millie Bobby Brown plays the title character, while the supporting cast includes Henry Cavill (Sherlock Holmes), Sam Claflin (Mycroft Holmes), Helena Bonham Carter (Eudoria Holmes), Louis Partridge, Adeel Akhtar, and Fiona Shaw, among others.

With such an impressive cast, did they give justice to Enola Holmes and the characters around her?

One day after its release, the current rating of "Enola Holmes" Netflix on Rotten Tomatoes has already reached 90 percent.

With that said, we take a look at some of the reviews about the flick and what critics have to say about it.

Brown Did Well -- But Something's Missing

In a review published by Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, he wrote that seeing the "Enola Holmes" Netflix movie is hardly believable.

Despite such a surprising spinoff, he applauded the lead actress' performance in the film.

"Brown has a nice, easygoing way with the material, cheekily outpacing her famous brother Sherlock here and there and often doing fourth-wall breaks to smirk at the audience, and I loved Miss Harrison's steampunky motor car," Bradshaw wrote.

However, he also said that the film should have shown more ingenious deducing and problem-solving scenes from Enola to highlight the fact that she is the sister of the ever-famous detective.

Cavill Left a Critic in Love and Clueless at the Same Time

Christy Lemire just stated the thought that many people might be thinking about Henry Cavill's Sherlock Holmes.

Lemire said in her review on RogerEbert.com: "Henry Cavill is the hunkiest Holmes ever-truly, it's hard to imagine how he found time to hit the gym between solving crimes."

Indeed, seeing Superman as a hot detective made the viewers wish they were the ones under probe instead of just sitting on their couches.

Kidding aside, the "What the Flick?!" co-host highlighted the film's negative aspects. Per Lemire, two hours of the "Enola Holmes" Netflix movie felt so long. According to her, because of the viewing time, the creators seem like they had to shift the genre -- from being an adventure to crime -- just to complete it.

Unfortunately, this somewhat spoiled the flick.

Enola Holmes Went Plucky?

National Public Radio (NPR) movie critic Glen Weldon, for his part, has a lot of good words to say about the "Enola Holmes" Netflix film.

After watching it, Weldon though that the movie was "plucky" -- but in a good way.

For him, it is a good thing Brown unveiled her spirited and courageous side, which truly completed the film. Weldon also took the chance to highlight the other strengths of the show.

"The script is witty, the cast slightly more diverse than you're likely expecting, and there are fun references to canonical Holmes elements throughout," Weldon wrote.