{"id":2512500,"date":"2026-07-22T13:30:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2512500"},"modified":"2026-07-22T13:30:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:30:25","slug":"enola-holmes-3-elementary-dear-readers-arts-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/enola-holmes-3-elementary-dear-readers-arts-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Enola Holmes 3\u2019: Elementary, dear readers | Arts &#038; Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" false=\"\">\n                                <meta itemprop=\"isAccessibleForFree\" content=\"false\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h3>Cheeky spin on Sherlock Holmes is a treat<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"subscriber-preview\">\n<p>This series continues to delight on all levels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Director Philip Barantini, new to the franchise, blends its many diverse elements with stylish \u00e9lan. He\u2019s rewarded, in this third entry, with fine performances from everybody in the cast: most notably star and co-producer Millie Bobby Brown, the driving force behind these stylish film adaptations of Nancy Springer\u2019s popular books.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Over time, Sherlock Holmes\u2019 world has been blessed with faithful film and television adaptations of Doyle\u2019s famed stories, and all manner of book and film pastiches and alternate universe twists on the original characters. It\u2019s a testament to the adroit flexibility of Doyle\u2019s characters, and the tolerant devotion of his fans, that so many of these what-ifs have been successful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>That\u2019s certainly true of Enola (Brown), the 20-years-younger sister of Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill, also reprising his ongoing role). In this telling, as faithfully adapted by scripter Jack Thorne, Enola was raised from a young age by their uncharacteristically feisty, free-thinking and mildly eccentric mother, Eudoria (the apparently ageless Helena Bonham Carter, also returning).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Eudoria ensured that Enola would be both book-educated and taught to be sharply observant, resourceful and able to take care of herself, thanks to jiu-jitsu self-defensive skills. Enola also became adept at puzzles and word games; indeed, her unusual name is \u201calone\u201d backwards, a reflection of the fact that most people she encounters refuse to take her seriously.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>The first film \u2014 based on Springer\u2019s first novel, \u201cEnola Holmes and the Case of the Missing Marquess\u201d \u2014 introduced all of these elements, threw Enola into her first case, and concluded with older brother Sherlock grudgingly acknowledging her detective skills. Thorne and co-scripter Harry Bradbeer veered away from Springer\u2019s books for the second film, focusing instead on an actual historical event perfectly suited to Enola\u2019s endeavors: Britain\u2019s July 1888 matchgirls\u2019 strike, which led to the creation of the Union of Women Matchmakers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Thorne once again dips into established history for this third film, which cheekily removes Enola and Sherlock from their comfortable London setting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>\u201cEvery good story starts with a wedding,\u201d Enola pertly tells us, as the film begins, once again breaking the fourth wall: one of this series\u2019 many hallmarks. She continues to do so as the story proceeds, frequently pausing to address us directly, or to shoot us a knowing glance. This succeeds because of Brown\u2019s skill with Thorne\u2019s well-scripted dialogue, thus drawing us intimately into these events, as if we\u2019re long-trusted allies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>The wedding is her own, to beloved Lord Tewkesbury, Marquis of Basilwether (Louis Partridge, also returning). He has matured from the callow, useless young man of the first film, and now has become a seasoned orator and rabble-rousing member of Parliament, doing his best to move the needle on social and gender equality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Somewhat unexpectedly, their wedding is taking place in Malta, thanks to a suggestion made by Tewkesbury\u2019s mother (Hattie Morahan), who believes this an important acknowledgment of her late husband\u2019s military career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Alas, poor Tewkesbury is left at the altar, when Enola discovers \u2014 horrors! \u2014 that her brother Sherlock has been kidnapped by parties unknown. While searching his ransacked hotel room alongside Dr. Watson (Himesh Patel, introduced in the second film), she discovers the word \u201cKhost\u201d scrawled almost invisibly in Morse code on a mirror.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>She knew there\u2019d be\u00a0<em>something<\/em>: \u201cA Holmes will always leave a clue for a Holmes,\u201d we\u2019re told.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Enola subsequently is plunged into a mystery that revolves around the less savory aspects of countries that were \u201ccolonized\u201d during the British Empire\u2019s so-called golden age. During most of the 19th century, Malta had become Britain\u2019s gateway to the rest of the world, at great cost to the nation\u2019s own identity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Enola and Watson eventually learn that Khost refers to a battle taking place during the ongoing Anglo-Afghan Wars. (This story\u2019s \u201cBattle of Khost\u201d is fictitious, although it stands in for the three actual wars, which began in 1838, and concluded with the third brief war in 1919.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>The increasingly complex case expands to include Mikiel Mizzi (Joe Assopardi), of the fledgling Partito Anti-Riformista, an actual movement dedicated to fight for a free Malta. (Sadly, that wouldn\u2019t happen until 1964.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>More crucially, this film also introduces Sherlock Holmes\u2019 most ruthless opponent, Moriarty. (I\u2019ve long been impressed by how firmly rooted Moriarty is, in the Holmes canon, despite only one actual appearance, and a half-dozen fleeting mentions in other stories.) This Moriarty is a woman (!), played with gleeful, somewhat unhinged ferocity by Sharon Duncan-Brewster. She\u2019s genuinely scary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Enola is a worthy adversary. Brown once again capably carries the film, giving the endearing young woman an irresistible blend of insight, pluck, mischief and saucy contempt for long-established gender and social norms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>The latter is fanciful, given the era, but Thorne shrewdly employs such wishful thinking to make us even more aware of the degree to which women were ignored back then. Enola also confronts the knee-jerk, contemptuous racism at the heart of British rule, after a Maltese police sergeant questions her presence at the scene of a crime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>\u201cEnola Holmes is\u00a0<em>English<\/em>,\u201d snaps the British governor, reprimanding the sergeant. \u201cShe is your\u00a0<em>better<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Enola\u2019s eyes grow wider at this injustice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Her expanding awareness also is characterized by a key line, toward the story\u2019s conclusion: \u201cThe answers we receive are rarely the answers we seek.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Partridge capably rises to the challenge of Tewkesbury\u2019s many emotional upheavals, as this story proceeds. Being left at the altar is embarrassing enough, but the poor guy has a much worse surprise \u2014 and reckoning \u2014 coming. At the same time, it\u2019s crucial that his bond with Enola remains intact: rather difficult, when she realizes that marriage would forever strip her of the Holmes name, while slotting her into the role of a \u201cproper Lord\u2019s wife.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Watson gets a much larger role in this story, and Patel\u2019s performance is sublime: kind, patient, supportive and quietly wise. His shining moment comes late in the story, when he reveals how his childhood self revered his father, a soldier and \u201cloyal servant of the British Raj.\u201d Patel\u2019s delivery of Watson\u2019s subsequent sense of betrayal, upon learning more about The Way Things Actually Were, is profound and powerful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>The always engaging Carter\u2019s Eudoria has become a fugitive anarchist battling gender inequality behind the scenes. As always, Carter radiates determination, calm resolve and a feisty sense of what\u2019s right. Woe to those in the way, when Eudoria\u2019s eyes flare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Sherlock spends most of this film shackled in a cell, and therefore doesn\u2019t contribute much, but Cavill nonetheless maintains the character\u2019s quick wit and intuitive reasoning. Morahan\u2019s role unexpectedly expands in the third act, and Lady Tewkesbury gets her own moment to shine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>As continues to be traditional in these films, Enola\u2019s escapades are intercut with captivating Victorian-style \u201cstick figure\u201d graphics, texts and maps. These pop up to explain puzzles, reveal clues, present brief history lessons, signal location shifts, and illustrate Enola\u2019s deductive reasoning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Production designer Gary Williamson and returning costume designer Consolata Boyle ensure that everything looks and sounds faithful to the Victorian era, but I miss the rousing orchestral scores that Daniel Pemberton delivered for the first two films. This film\u2019s music, by Aaron May and David Ridley, doesn\u2019t have as much pizzazz.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p>That\u2019s a minor quibble. You\u2019re guaranteed to have a great time during every moment of this engaging, fast-paced, light-hearted and exciting adventure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p><strong>Rating:<\/strong> PG-13 for violence and dramatic intensity<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p><strong>Starring:\u00a0<\/strong>Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Partridge, Himesh Patel, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Hattie Morahan, Joe Azzopardi, Jason Watkins<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.davisenterprise.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cheeky spin on Sherlock Holmes is a treat This series continues to delight on all levels. Director Philip Barantini, new to the franchise, blends its many diverse elements with stylish \u00e9lan. He\u2019s rewarded, in this third entry, with fine performances from everybody in the cast: most notably star and co-producer Millie Bobby Brown, the driving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2512501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[495705,364196,495698,495700,495701,495709,374750,495710,495699,495703,327422,453375,309707,495707,470154,495712,495706,495697,358576,495708,495704,495696,495695,495711,495702],"class_list":["post-2512500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-adaptations-of-works","tag-arthur-conan-doyle","tag-arthur-conan-doyle-characters","tag-british-superheroes","tag-detective-fiction","tag-doyle-family","tag-dr-watson","tag-enola-holmes-film","tag-fictional-gentleman-detectives","tag-fictional-private-investigators","tag-jack-thorne","tag-malta","tag-millie-bobby-brown","tag-minor-sherlock-holmes-characters","tag-mystery-novels","tag-parodies-of-films","tag-parodies-of-literature","tag-professor-moriarty","tag-sherlock-holmes","tag-sherlock-holmes-characters","tag-sherlock-holmes-pastiches","tag-tewkesbury","tag-the-enola-holmes-mysteries","tag-unofficial-adaptations","tag-works-based-on-sherlock-holmes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/\u2018Enola-Holmes-3-Elementary-dear-readers-Arts-Entertainment.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2512500"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2512502,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512500\/revisions\/2512502"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2512501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2512500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2512500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2512500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}