Although Sherlock Holmes stories have been adapted widely across the world in various mediums, Enola Holmes franchise is the only one that explores themes of women’s independence, family, friendship, and even significant moments from British history. More importantly, it gives us a protagonist who isn’t trying to become another Sherlock Holmes. Enola solves mysteries in her own way, learns from her mistakes, and slowly grows into just as capable of a detective.
With the release of Enola Holmes 3 on Netflix, I think this is the perfect time to rank all the movies. I am going to rank them based on mystery element, historical element, character development, and setting going from worst to best:
3. Enola Holmes 3- As a standalone, it’s not a bad film but when compared with the other two, it was underwhelming. I think this is the weakest film yet for multiple reasons. First, Sherlock remains kidnapped for most of the film. Although he is quick to piece together what is happening, I find it hard to believe that one of literature’s greatest detectives was bested so easily by the antagonist and remained passive in a high stakes situation.
What I would have loved to see is Enola and Sherlock solving the mystery together and Enola growing as a detective without being overshadowed by her brother.
Second, is Dr. Watson’s character. The second part introduced Dr. Watson in the last scene and it was expected that his character would have an important role in this movie. However, he was not given a lot of space to develop. I hope future instalments give him a much larger role.
Another thing I felt disappointed with was Mycroft’s absence without any explanation. Even though he is orthodox, cruel, and boorish, his presence added a fun antagonistic dynamic to Enola’s story and Sam Claflin was just phenomenal in this role.
Lastly, I felt that the costumes were somewhat anachronistic. The dresses and styling choices appeared too modern for the Victorian era.
That said, what I did like in this film was the Maltese setting and whole stolen treasure thing. The film does a decent job in exploring the British colonization exploits even though the depiction was less nuanced and simple. Still, the Maltese setting set it out from other films and provided a new outlook for Enola’s character.
This film was ambitious but it left me wanting much more than was delivered,
2. Enola Holmes- The first movie was pretty great on its own. We get introduced to Enola; Sherlock’s little sister who soon forms her own identity independent of her brothers’ great reputation.
It was also fun to watch her relationship with her mother, Eudoria who gave her an unconventional upbringing. Her quest to find her mother provided the emotional foundation of the film.
Tewkesbury was also a delightful introduction. A young, teen marquess who has gone missing and somehow ends up hiding in Enola’s getaway carriage. Their innocent and playful nature of their relationship coupled with Enola’s growing detective skills made this perfect for rewatching.
The only criticism I have for this is that mystery and detective work sometimes takes backseat as the film spends its time developing personalities of the characters and giving insights into their behaviour. Overall, it is a pretty sweet watch and a wonderful introduction to Enola’s world.
1. Enola Holmes 2- Now coming to my favourite film in the trilogy, the second one. I think every element works out perfectly in this movie.
Enola and Tewkesbury’s relationship feels warmer and more natural than before, and both characters are given enough room to grow individually while also strengthening their bond.
The best part for me, however was the plot. It concerned the matchgirls’ strike which was based on real incidents that happened in 19th century London. In 1888, around 1,400 women and girls walked out of the Bryant & May match factory in protest against unfair working conditions and the dangerous effects of white phosphorus, which was widely used in the production of matches.
Sarah Chapman emerged as one of the key leaders of this historic strike, which became a significant milestone in the fight for better labour rights, improved workplace safety, and greater recognition of women’s voices in the workforce.
Another reason I love this film is that Enola finally comes out of her brother’s shadow and we see her becoming a detective in her own right.
Plus, I love the dance sequence between Enola and Tewkesbury and this is the movie where they have their first kiss.
This is the film where the franchise found its balance in mystery, humor, heart as well as history.
I think that Enola Holmes is one of Netflix’s most enjoyable original film franchises. Each movie brings something different to the table whether it’s introducing Enola’s wonderfully unconventional world, highlighting an important historical event such as the Matchgirls’ Strike, or exploring Britain’s colonial past through a new mystery.
Of course, that is my ranking based on my thoughts and opinions. I’d love to know what you think how you would rank the Enola Holmes films. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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