Why didn't «Enola Holmes 3» leave the same impression as the previous installments?

«Enola Holmes», considered one of Netflix's popular detective franchises, has returned to screens with a new installment. While Millie Bobby Brown returns in the lead role, the creative team of «Adolescence» also worked on the film. However, critics believe the third part failed to fully preserve the charm and novelty of the previous films.

Although Netflix has become one of the largest platforms year after year, it still struggles to create successful original movie franchises that last for many years. While reality shows, true crime documentaries, thrillers based on Harlan Coben's works, and romantic comedies attract large audiences on the platform, creating strong franchises like Hollywood studios is not proving easy.

According to critics, the main reason is that simple online viewing is not enough to turn a high-budget film into a true cultural phenomenon. While films like Red Notice, The Grey Man, or the expensive The Electric State achieved high viewership numbers, long-term interest did not form around them. In this regard, the Enola Holmes franchise is considered one of the successful projects for Netflix.

It is worth noting that the first film was originally prepared by Warner Bros. for theaters but was sold to Netflix during the pandemic. After the second part also achieved great success, filming the third movie became a natural decision.

The new installment retains the film's main strengths — light humor, interesting detective events, and historical themes. However, this time they are not as impactful as before. Critics believe the script has begun to repeat itself to some extent, and a lack of new ideas in the franchise is noticeable.

Screenwriter Jack Thorne again attempted to carefully weave important social themes into the story. Despite Enola being an independent and brave girl, the film touches upon her decision to marry, the role of women in society, and themes related to British colonialism. However, these ideas did not blend as naturally into the plot development as they did in previous parts.

According to the plot, Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) is on the verge of marrying her boyfriend Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). While the ceremony is taking place on the island of Malta, it is revealed that her brother Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) has been kidnapped. Consequently, Enola embarks on another dangerous investigation.

Helena Bonham Carter appears again as Enola's mother, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster returns as Moriarty. The main burden once again falls on Millie Bobby Brown. However, some critics note that the actress's performance did not fully exhibit the naturalness and lightness of the previous films.

Another positive aspect of the film is its duration. While the previous two parts exceeded two hours, this time the picture lasts nearly 100 minutes. Nevertheless, experts note that this shortening also evokes a feeling of a lack of new ideas.

Overall, «Enola Holmes 3» is not a bad film, but it failed to provide the level of interest and novelty of the previous installments. Critics believe that if the franchise continues, a stronger plot and greater risk-taking will be needed in the next part.