Millie Bobby Brown and Helena Bonham Carter in Netflix film Enola Holmes. (Photo: Netflix)

Even before it has had a global release, Millie Bobby Brown-starrer Enola Holmes is garnering great reviews. The film focuses on world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes’ teenage sister Enola Holmes, who turns out to be as masterful as her older sibling at solving intriguing cases. Apart from Brown, the Netflix movie also features Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter and Fiona Shaw.

Variety’s film critic Peter Debruge called it a ‘clever original’ in his review and wrote, “Enola Holmes offers a different kind of feminism from that game-changing show, based less in accepting women with all their flaws than in the conviction that men have bossed around long enough, and it’s time to make room for other people. Centered on a long-haired runaway lord (Louis Partridge) and the passage of Great Britain’s Representation of the People Act 1884 (which paved the way for women’s suffrage a quarter-century later), the movie has contemporary issues of gender equality on the mind — and an endearingly radical protagonist in Enola.”

Forbes’ film critic Scott Mendelson mentioned in his review, “The production values, the cast and the relatively self-contained nature of the story had me all set to sing Netflix’s huzzahs until I realized that it was supposed to be a Warner Bros. theatrical release. No matter, credit for the smart buy is still due, and this could easily be a new multi-part film franchise to keep Brown and Cavill (the stars of two of their biggest shows) in the Netflix family. Enola Holmes is an ideal ‘Saturday night family movie night’ entertainment. Save for a few references to the (comparatively) more violent elements of the women’s suffrage movement, it’s light as a feather but that’s entirely fine.”

Collider’s Matt Goldberg called it a ‘rollicking adventure.’ A section of his review read, “Developed as a feature in part by star Millie Bobby Brown (who also serves as a producer on the film), Enola Holmes is a pure delight from start to finish that spins a captivating mystery yarn worthy of its protagonist’s surname while being family friendly enough that parents won’t have to worry about anything too dark scaring their young ones. With the skillful direction of Fleabag helmer Harry Bradbeer, a strong supporting cast, and Brown proving she can carry a project all on her own, Enola Holmes is a total charmer that will have you eager to see further adventures of this young detective.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s John DeFore opined, “Adapting the first of Springer’s books as the origin tale in what’s surely intended to be a series of Netflix movies, Harry Bradbeer’s Enola Holmes makes a fine showcase for Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, who gets to drop the layers of anxiety and trauma that make that show’s El such a compelling character. While no one will ever accuse the picture of overestimating its viewers’ intelligence — Jack Thorne’s script rarely misses the chance to drive a moral point home with one more pound to the head of the nail — it successfully imagines a place for its heroine in Holmes’ world, then convinces young viewers that Enola needn’t be constrained by that world’s borders.”

Also read | Enola Holmes trailer: Millie Bobby Brown is the new Sherlock in town

IndieWire writer Kate Erbland called Enola Holmes a ‘frisky and feminist twist on the Sherlock Holmes mythos’ and wrote in her review of the movie, “The mind tricks will certainly get better from there, as Bradbeer’s film is rife with all sorts of mysterious twists and turns and shocks. It also never forgets that it’s inspired by a series designed for the younger set, but as Jack Thorne’s script steadily ratchets up the drama (though at just over two hours, some of that ratcheting could have come more quickly), Enola Holmes reveals itself to be genuinely appealing for a wide audience.”

Directed by Harry Bradbeer of Fleabag fame, Enola Holmes will start streaming on Netflix from September 23.

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