The movies Enola Holmes and Enola Holmes 2  came out exclusively to Netflix only, on September 23rd, 2020, and October 28th, 2022. The movies are both about a young girl who was raised by her mother after her father died and her two older brothers moved away to start their own life in London. On the morning of her 16th birthday, her mother went missing, so she had to take matters into her own hands.

Both movies star actor Millie Bobby Brown as Enola Holmes, who is most known for her role as 11 in Stranger Things. Enola Holmes is part of the Holmes family, sister to Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, fictional characters from the book A Study in Scarlet originally published in 1887 by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 

Enola Holmes (2020) was directed by Harry Bradbeer and was inspired by Nancy Springer’s book series, The Enola Holmes Mysteries. I was able to find a website, archive.org,  which helped me determine the differences between the books and the movies. In the movies, Enola is more confident, extroverted, action-oriented, and has more of a rebellious attitude, which I like because it kind of gives the vibe of her still being so young while she is on this mission.

In the books, Enola is introverted, which is very different from the films. Another difference between the movie and the books is that in the film, Enola breaks the fourth wall various times while in the books she is never seen breaking the fourth wall. I personally like how Enola breaks the fourth wall, it kind of gives you the feeling of being in there since she is interacting with the people watching. In the book series, Enola’s brother, Sherlock Holmes, was more of a background character, while in the movies Enola and Sherlock have more of a close relationship which becomes closer as both movies progress.

I think this movie plays a significant role in feminism as it breaks traditional gender roles and challenges a stereotypical vision of how women were seen back in the 1800s. In today’s world women don’t have to fight for their basic rights, but back then some women stepped up and fought for women’s basic rights like Enola’s mother, Eudoria.

Enola’s mother is played by Helena Bonham, Helena Bonham is known for her role in the final four Harry Potter movies as witch Bellatrix Lestrange. Eudoria embodies a feminist figure, as she takes part in the suffrage movement and teaches Enola about freedom, activism, and the importance of fighting for women’s rights. The suffrage movement was organized by women who wanted the right for married women to control their own wages and property. After this historic movement, women’s voting rights became a big debate about women’s rights. Eudoria’s secret involvement in the suffrage movement, which is revealed in the film, is a key feminist element of the story, showing that activism for women’s rights was an essential part of women’s lives during that period. 

Enola Holmes 2 (2022) continues to show the feminist themes that were first shown in the first film. Not only does Enola open up her own detective firm, but she also further explores her journey into her independence while still challenging the traditional gender roles that were placed on women. Both the first and second films show how Enola Holmes is the opposite of the “proper lady” during the Victorian era. Enola challenges the preferred roles for women by refusing to obey the traditional expectations. I think these feminist details could inspire teens and young women to be themselves even if it means that you won’t fit in.  I also think that both of these films can teach the younger generation or generations about how women lived back then, and how Enola was not afraid to give up on her dreams and what she wanted to do.

Personally, for me, this movie was really interesting. I’m typically not into action movies as they seem to bore me, but with both of these films, I was able to watch without getting bored. I wouldn’t change anything about the stories; they had all of the things that I’m interested in. For example, both had romance (which was a bit unexpected the first time I watched)  and mystery and were very much movies about feminism. I feel like they did a good job in bringing some feminist features as it makes it more interesting and fits in with the time period of the movies. Both movies were accurate with the costumes of the actresses as they fit the description of how women would have dressed in the 1800s. This movie was a 10/10 for me, definitely a must-watch!

What’s your opinion about these movies? Leave it in the comments!