I don’t really buy into the whole ‘New Year, New Me’ mentality but as January rolled around it seemed as though my desire to watch new content came back, along with my motivation for writing.

Now, Sherlock Holmes is a name that everybody knows but the world famous detective is taking a bit of a step back in favour of his younger sister in the Netflix film, Enola Holmes.

Although the already well established characters of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes are part and parcel of the film, Enola is a creation of Nancy Springer, author of the Young Adult book series that this film is based on.

I originally put Enola Holmes on for a bit of background noise but as is usually the case when my expectations are low, the film quickly caught my attention and held it there right until the very end.

With the death of her father when she was just a baby and her older brothers making names for themselves in the big city of London, Enola spent most of her childhood in the company of her somewhat eccentric mother, Eudoria. Rather than becoming a ‘proper lady’, Enola was homeschooled by her mother and her education was as different and eclectic as you could imagine. Nevertheless, Enola was happy but on the morning of her sixteenth birthday she wakes to find her mother has gone missing forcing her to call upon her brothers.

Her eldest brother, Mycroft, is something of a cantankerous soul preoccupied with maintaining image and reputation in a male-dominated world that is teetering on the edge of change and reform. He wants to send Enola to Miss Harrison’s Finishing School to become a ‘proper lady’ and learn her place. Her other brother, the famous Sherlock Holmes, seems a little more sympathetic to her plight but underestimates her abilities and does little to change Mycroft’s mind. Therefore, Enola takes off on her own but in her search for her mother, she finds herself.

The story is excellently paced and well written with a surprisingly witty script. Enola’s frequent breaking of the fourth wall really helps to draw you into her story and you feel as though you are something of a confidante, truly going along for the ride.

Millie Bobby Brown excels as the titular character and demonstrates tenacity, physicality and a surprisingly keen sense of comedic timing. Brown’s star power has been evident since she burst onto our screens in Stranger Things and has been building ever since. Not only does she take the lead and truly make it her own but she also acted as a producer along with her older sister, both of whom are fans of the books and there enthusiasm for the character translates well on the screen.

It is a testament to Brown’s ability that she can hold her own on screen undeterred by the incredible calibre of actors around her. Despite the eccentricity of her character, Helena Bonham Carter plays it somewhat subdued as Eudoria Holmes but the little tidbits we do get help add to the mystery and intrigue of her disappearance.

Man of the moment, Henry Cavill is the latest actor to don the deerstalker hat (so to speak), and although he was suave and charismatic, personally I didn’t find him to be a particular memorable Sherlock, although perhaps that was the point. This film is about Enola not her famous brother.

As for Enola’s eldest brother, I do have a bit of a soft spot for Sam Clafin so I may be biased but I loved his portrayal of Mycroft Holmes. If there is one thing that Clafin seems to excel at, it is playing an aristocratic villain. Yes, he is misogynistic, condescending and aloof but he is delightfully so.

Overall this was a thoroughly entertaining watch with a solid story and strong cast, so grab the whole family and snuggle up for movie night in. Don’t forget the popcorn!

Enola Holmes is now available to stream on Netflix.