The first time I saw Millie Bobby Brown was, like so many others, in STRANGER THINGS. I'd heard about the show from so many people, and didn't get the hype until I rolled the dice and gave it a shot. Being a huge fan of Stephen King's work helped to make me appreciate something truly unique and even special in the show.
It's refreshing, being someone growing older in years, to see such talent in the new generations to come.
ENOLA HOLMES stars Millie as Enola, Henry Cavill as Sherlock, Sam Claflin as Mycroft, and the always legendary and wonderful Helena Bonham Carter as their mother, Eudoria. It was directed by Mr. Harry Bradbeer who, up until this point, seems to have only directed television episodes and shorts.
First thing's first then... hats off to you, sir! For a wide selection of choices that I found to be absolutely wonderful in delivery, charm, humor and writing. However you managed to pull all of this together is quite surprising and refreshingly original.
Three things stand out for me in this film. The first is the choice to constantly break the third wall, as they say. Looking back at the film it was quite a bold and wonderful way to make light of something that could have been a much more serious film - which would have detracted from its overall delivery. I laughed out loud SO many times during the run of the film and have thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
The second was the cinematography. I have a bad habit of sounding out "Beautiful shot" whenever I see one in a film, and this one had so many I was floored. The scope of the camera amidst lush green forests and broad spectrum cityscapes truly added to the wonder of the film. I have the urge to attempt to go and capture as many as I can and have them scroll through the background of the desktop of my computer.
The last was Millie herself. While watching STRANGER THINGS I have been impressed by EVERYONE'S acting (well except for Wynona Rider maybe, but I've always been on the fence with her ability anyway). I liked Millie's delivery, but felt the same way I did when I was watching Emma Watson in Harry Potter... I saw potential, but a lack of experience. It is wholeheartedly refreshing to see Millie really strut her stuff here. She is amazing, and I look forward to everything she will do with her career as the years roll by.
Now I'm not going to claim the film is perfect. It does have some pacing issues, where the flow slows to a crawl in some spots and takes a bit too long to pick back up again. Also the entire stretch of the story involving Enola attempting to conform with the school she's assigned to felt unnecessary and even somewhat poorly delivered. Sam Claflin's Mycroft doesn't have the charm I'm used to seeing in other portrayals of Sherlock's brother, to the point where he was infuriatingly unfeeling toward his sister and her situation, making him more of a nuisance than I felt he should have been.
But these issues are very small, and the parts the film hits on more than make up for the misses. I almost forgot to mention Tewkesbury, played by Louis Partridge, who at first seemed to be a bit of an empty character, only to develop nicely as the film rolled on.
Helena Bonham Carter needs to be mentioned, so much as she doesn't need to be. A legend in her own right, she gives the film exactly what it needs in the few scenes she is in, as the caring but mysterious mother of the Holmes clan. I've never seen her deliver a bad performance, and she does her usual here.
All in all, I loved ENOLA HOLMES. It's charming in its delivery, beautiful in its scenery, hilarious in its humor and touching just where it needs to be in all the right places. I had a lot of fun watching this film, and I look forward to watching it again when the opportunity presents itself.
It's refreshing, being someone growing older in years, to see such talent in the new generations to come.
ENOLA HOLMES stars Millie as Enola, Henry Cavill as Sherlock, Sam Claflin as Mycroft, and the always legendary and wonderful Helena Bonham Carter as their mother, Eudoria. It was directed by Mr. Harry Bradbeer who, up until this point, seems to have only directed television episodes and shorts.
First thing's first then... hats off to you, sir! For a wide selection of choices that I found to be absolutely wonderful in delivery, charm, humor and writing. However you managed to pull all of this together is quite surprising and refreshingly original.
Three things stand out for me in this film. The first is the choice to constantly break the third wall, as they say. Looking back at the film it was quite a bold and wonderful way to make light of something that could have been a much more serious film - which would have detracted from its overall delivery. I laughed out loud SO many times during the run of the film and have thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
The second was the cinematography. I have a bad habit of sounding out "Beautiful shot" whenever I see one in a film, and this one had so many I was floored. The scope of the camera amidst lush green forests and broad spectrum cityscapes truly added to the wonder of the film. I have the urge to attempt to go and capture as many as I can and have them scroll through the background of the desktop of my computer.
The last was Millie herself. While watching STRANGER THINGS I have been impressed by EVERYONE'S acting (well except for Wynona Rider maybe, but I've always been on the fence with her ability anyway). I liked Millie's delivery, but felt the same way I did when I was watching Emma Watson in Harry Potter... I saw potential, but a lack of experience. It is wholeheartedly refreshing to see Millie really strut her stuff here. She is amazing, and I look forward to everything she will do with her career as the years roll by.
Now I'm not going to claim the film is perfect. It does have some pacing issues, where the flow slows to a crawl in some spots and takes a bit too long to pick back up again. Also the entire stretch of the story involving Enola attempting to conform with the school she's assigned to felt unnecessary and even somewhat poorly delivered. Sam Claflin's Mycroft doesn't have the charm I'm used to seeing in other portrayals of Sherlock's brother, to the point where he was infuriatingly unfeeling toward his sister and her situation, making him more of a nuisance than I felt he should have been.
But these issues are very small, and the parts the film hits on more than make up for the misses. I almost forgot to mention Tewkesbury, played by Louis Partridge, who at first seemed to be a bit of an empty character, only to develop nicely as the film rolled on.
Helena Bonham Carter needs to be mentioned, so much as she doesn't need to be. A legend in her own right, she gives the film exactly what it needs in the few scenes she is in, as the caring but mysterious mother of the Holmes clan. I've never seen her deliver a bad performance, and she does her usual here.
All in all, I loved ENOLA HOLMES. It's charming in its delivery, beautiful in its scenery, hilarious in its humor and touching just where it needs to be in all the right places. I had a lot of fun watching this film, and I look forward to watching it again when the opportunity presents itself.