Permutations on Sherlock Holmes have a long and spotty cinematic history, which makes “Enola Holmes” a vehicle for Millie Bobby Brown, who doubled as its producer. Adapted from the young-adult books, it’s a lovely production that reinforces Brown, if there were any doubts, is a major star in the making.

It’s especially impressive to see the way Brown holds the screen, regularly addressing the camera as the energetic guide to Enola’s big adventure.

The teenage sister of Sherlock (Henry Cavill) awakens on her 16th birthday to discover that their mother (Helena Bonham Carter), who has raised her quite independently for the 1880s, has disappeared. That triggers a mad search to find her, much to the chagrin of her other buttoned-up brother, Mycroft (Sam Claflin), who is eager to toss her into a finishing school for girls. “You want me controlled,” Enola snaps defiantly.

Gifted with her brother’s agile mind, Enola, “The game is afoot,” but she’s soon distracted by new game, in the form of a teenage aristocrat (Louis Partridge) that she encounters, who appears to be the target of a murder plot. The two mysteries continue along parallel tracks, which is appropriate, since Enola first meets the young lord on a train.

Directed by Harry Bradbeer, from a screenplay by Jack Thorne, the film’s lavish period trappings set it apart from most of the teen-starring movies that one encounters, a cut above what usually pops up on the Disney Channel or now Disney+. Heck, Enola even reads newspapers to help crack codes, which if nothing else establishes this as a period piece.

For fans of the Holmes character, his countless screen incarnations have also included “Young Sherlock Holmes” and Gene Wilder’s comedic “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother.” But “Enola” carves out its own path, as the plucky heroine’s efforts to outsmart her siblings, offering an amusing garnish to the more serious detective work.

Brown already enjoys a bustling filmography, but as a producer, she likely has an incentive to do more of these films, and there are additional books by Nancy Springer waiting for the call. Based on the charms of “Enola Holmes,” Netflix should be eager to keep this game afoot as long as its stars are willing to keep playing.

(SD-Agencies)