Briefly: 'Enola Holmes 2' Captivates, Even As It Stretches
Millie Bobby Brown is everyone's younger sister in the Netflix movie that might have been better as a series.
Really, I know nothing substantive about the business side of movies in Hollywood, but I cannot help but wonder why they can’t seem to come to a consensus on running times.
To illustrate: when I first became captivated by Hong Kong action films in the late 90s, I loved the idea that the best ones hit the ground running, i.e., with a smash-bang action scene, like the one that opens most any Jackie Chan movie from that era. Most films, per my faulty memory, typically ran 90-105 minutes, which enabled exhibitors to squeeze more showings into a single day and contributed to healthy box office returns.
Nowadays, many films run far too long, well past two hours, which makes it very challenging for those of us with weak bladders — i.e., myself — to make it through the whole thing. Since I can no longer run the men’s room, that means I will miss a sizable chunk of the movie and invalidate any review I might be contemplating. At home, at least, I can press the “pause” button, which gives me time to take care of my personal business, as well as to contemplate whether I’m making the best use of my limited time by watching what is unfolding before me. Many times I have returned to my viewing position and exited the movie or TV show that I’ve been watching.
Even on streaming services, however, there is such a thing as ‘movies that are too long to watch in a single sitting,’ which brings me to the movie under consideration: Enola Holmes 2, which for some unfathomable reason runs two hours and nine minutes, which is even longer than the original Enola Holmes, which clocked in at two hours and three minutes.
What do they do in the extra six minutes? I have no idea. I started the first Enola Holmes but lost interest after about 30 minutes or so; I’ve made it a bit further so far into Enola Holmes 2 but have similarly lost interest in watching further. Millie Bobby Brown is thoroughly delightful as the aspiring detective, quick witted and always ready to kick or punch her way out of troubling situations, or simply to run away.
Here’s an idea: why not chop the movie up into more digestible episodes, each running 30 minutes or less? That way, if you like what you’re watching, you can always bookmark and come back for more episodes later. That’s basically what I’m doing right now; Netflix adds it to my constantly growing “continue watching” list, which it keeps near the top of my home page whenever I log in to the service.
I’ve not yet seen any video in which Netflix explains why movies are permitted to go on and on? Perhaps that’s to help with their new ad tier? I may try that next; at least that would make it easier to care necessary personal business on a periodic basis., [Netflix]