The Enola Holmes trilogy has now been concluded on Netflix, and the order of the movies in terms of worst to best is clear. Sherlock Holmes is the most famous detective in all fiction. As such, any new project with the detective, be it a movie or TV show, is an instant must-watch for many.
However, few Holmes projects are as original and vibrant as the Enola Holmes films, which stand as some of the best Netflix Original movies to date. Led by Stranger Things‘ Millie Bobby Brown, the movie franchise is based on Nancy Springer’s The Enola Holmes Mysteries novels. There are ten books in the series so far, being released from 2006 to 2023.
While they focus on the young Enola, every single one of those books also includes her more famous detective brother, Sherlock Holmes. To that same end, the Superman of the DCEU movie franchise, Henry Cavill, plays Sherlock in every movie in the Enola Holmes trilogy. That marks a clear difference from how Enola’s other brother, Mycroft, is portrayed.
Different from Cavill’s Sherlock, The Hunger Games actor Sam Claflin only played Mycroft Holmes in the first entry in the Netflix franchise. As for Enola herself, with every new movie in the detective series, she grew both as a person and a detective. Viewers watched her go from a young girl looking for the thrill of the chase to a mature crime solver, and these are the Enola Holmes movies ranked from worst to best:
3
Enola Holmes 3 (2026)
I don’t believe that any Enola Holmes movie is bad. That said, the most recent release in the franchise, Enola Holmes 3, is its weakest entry so far. There are strengths in the film, with the romance between Brown’s Enola and Louis Partridge’s Tewkesbury taking an exciting step forward, Himesh Patel’s Dr. Watson turning out to be a delightful addition to the franchise now that he gets a beefy part to play, and Cavill effortlessly bringing Sherlock Holmes to life.
Enola Holmes 3 Review: Millie Bobby Brown’s Detective Schtick Wears Thin
Enola Holmes 3 is another cozy, low-stakes mystery movie, but with less energy from Millie Bobby Brown, the premise begins to lose its charm.
That said, the mystery of the third movie, centered on Sherlock Holmes’ disappearance, is not nearly as exciting or surprising as that of the first two movies. Additionally, the idea of sidelining Sherlock after his dynamic with Enola was a huge part of the second movie’s success, was disappointing. Finally, Enola Holmes 3 has had the most negative reception of the franchise. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 69% critics’ score and a 66% audience score at the time of writing.
2
Enola Holmes (2020)
In 2nd place is the first movie in the Netflix franchise. 2020’s Enola Holmes did a wonderful job in getting viewers hooked on a new take on the Sherlock Holmes universe. Brown was instantly likable as Enola, with the movie’s fast-paced approach and sharp editing making it simply irresistible. With his only appearance in the franchise, Claflin’s Mycroft played off nicely as a rigid counterpoint to the free-spirited Enola and the opinionated Sherlock.
Enola Holmes holds a near-perfect 91% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, which stands far above that of the final movie in the trilogy. Its audience score is also higher, at 71%. It is not the best Enola Holmes movie because it had to do a lot of work to establish the foundation of the franchise, which dragged it down a little bit, but allowed another entry to shine.
1
Enola Holmes 2 (2022)
Enola Holmes 2 continues to be the best movie in Millie Bobby Brown’s detective franchise. After the solid work in establishing the franchise in the first movie, the 2022 mystery comedy is where the characters and storylines were at their best. In the first and third Enola Holmes movies, Cavill’s Sherlock feels like a guest star. In the second film, he is integral, and there is a lot of fun to be had in seeing the siblings’ cases connect to one another.
Enola Holmes 2 boasts a 93% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a high 79% audience score.
Additionally, the mystery is complex, the story is culturally relevant, and Enola feels more like a real person than the more “perfect” detective of the first movie, which makes more sense for someone at the start of their career. The relationship with Tewkesbury is endearing, and that kiss was extremely sweet. All in all, the Enola Holmes franchise is solid, and Enola Holmes 2 just ranks higher than the rest as a perfect, energetic detective story.
- Created by
-
Nancy Springer
- Latest Film
-
Enola Holmes 2
- Upcoming Films
-
Enola Holmes 3
- Movie(s)
-
Enola Holmes, Enola Holmes 2, Enola Holmes 3