Edgar Wright is one of my favorite filmmakers working today. His whole filmography, especially his masterful Cornetto Trilogy, have been excellent experiences, boasting great performances, upbeat editing and music, and plenty of grand spectacle. Wright has mostly delved into action and comedy, so it came to my surprise to hear Last Night in Soho was going to be a thriller. I was cautiously optimistic, and especially curious to see a new approach Wright would take with this concept.
Related: The Last Duel and Night Teeth – Movie Reviews
Related: Dune Review: One of the Better Films of This Year!
Eloise, an ambitious fashion design student in London, begins to live vicariously through a gorgeous singer in the 1960’s. Eloise possesses a fascination with the time period, and her experiences with this woman and the sublime setting drive her work, until she begins to uncover a dark and treacherous history that had unfolded.
Edgar Wright does an excellent job juxtaposing past and present through several clever storytelling devices employed. The combination of immaculate production design and mystical visual style concoct a dream-like atmosphere that begins to descend into a nightmarish labyrinth.
Thomasin McKenzie does a magnificent job conveying emotions of wonder and anxiety as her character ventures into an unknown and eerie new environment. Wright engraves a lot of blended music choices that sync flawlessly with each scene. Wright himself makes daring choices that deviate from his traditional style, molding a new perspective on his craft.
This is, however, Edgar Wright’s weakest film to date. A few creative decisions didn’t land well for me, such as predictable twists involving the revelation of identities. Wright is still able to take some of these twists in an interesting direction that benefits the story, but it doesn’t always work out.
Also Read: Best Thriller Movies on Amazon Prime Video
Also Read: Best Thriller Movies on Netflix You Shouldn’t Miss!
The editing with this film is certainly not as clever as his previous work, as it leaves little room for interpretability at its worst, although at its best it elevates the kinetic tempo of the busier scenes. Overall, Last Night in Soho may be Edgar Wright’s weakest film, but it is still another great addition to his line-up, carrying enough talent and creativity to help it stand out on its own.
Follow Zach (the Author) on Instagram – @pretentiousfilmcritic
As everything around us seems to be changing at an alarming pace, we often imagine… Read More
This is a “brave new world” of Marvel Cinematic Universe that Kevin Feige is trying… Read More
For the first 22 years of our lives we are told constantly to enjoy our… Read More
Realm of Shadows dives deep into dark fantasy horror, blending multiple supernatural tales into a… Read More
Los Angeles is a city of divisions—between wealth and poverty, law and crime, past and… Read More
The International Criminal Court (ICC) stands as a crucial institution in the pursuit of justice,… Read More
We use cookies, just to track visits to our website, we store no personal details.