It’s been a decent summer so far for plucky British gumshoes. After the cozily pastoral charms of the delightful whodunit “Sheep Detectives” and its unusual crime-stoppers, we get the winsome “Enola Holmes 3,” the latest installment of the Netflix mystery franchise that follows the sleuthing escapades of Sherlock’s little sister. Enola is no longer a wide-eyed, inexperienced heroine — she’s made a good enough name for herself as an insightful, observant detective who can look at any inconspicuous scene for a brief moment and promptly spot at least half a dozen fishy peculiarities.
Nor is she alone, regardless of her purposely liberated name might suggest when read backwards. Once again endearingly portrayed by “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown, Enola enters the film in a lavish bridal gown on top of a picturesque Maltese hill, about to get married to the love of her life: Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), who’s been her partner in crime and adventure since they were fellow runaways in the first movie.
“Great stories begin with a wedding,” Enola muses in her peppy voiceover, a signature ingredient of the franchise that has come to define much of its upbeat tone, and also exemplifies the Nancy Springer book series that the movies are based on. Picking up directing duties from Harry Bradbeer and working with a script by returning writer Jack Thorne, “Adolescence” maestro Philip Barantini smartly preserves the previous films’ fast-paced, feather-light qualities with witty visual effects and zippy editing where things sharply snap into place like tangible puzzle pieces.
