Last Night in Soho

Leave it to Edgar Wright to give us a unique entry in the horror space!

After his hit (near) classic, Baby Driver, Wright seemingly turned his attention to horror, bringing along a lot of his distinctive tendencies, including his passion for music. 

While Last Night in Soho doesn't have the clever, effective gimmick of timing it's entire runtime to the beat of the music like its predecessor did - which is honestly preferred in this case - it still offers a lot of distinct vibes, largely based between its different time periods. 

And while I may not think Last Night in Soho is as good as Baby Driver (TBH, in some ways it is/better), I also find that it doesn't necessarily have a critical flaw like Baby Driver did (overstayed its welcome). 

If you've missed the trailers, it's okay, as knowing less going in is probably the best. The trailers aren't exactly spoilers, but in hindsight I felt they did give away a little too much. Eloise (McKenzie) is an aspiring fashion designer who lives with her "Gran" in the English countryside. She has a special "power" (that, somewhat annoyingly, is never really explained at all) and she makes it into a super fancy fashion school in London. She enters the city and quickly becomes overwhelmed by the other snobby students, leading her to find her own flat. It's here where the visions and dreams begin. The visions transport Eloise to London in the 1960's when it was "at the center of the world" and she meets/is Sandie (Taylor-Joy). 

Describing the plot much past that would be unfair to the film and readers (spoilers!) but suffice it to say that things go dark since, after all, this is a horror film, and while there's some parts that seem to lack direction, it all wraps up in a satisfying way after a well-earned, but not entirely hard-to-see twist. Overall, the story here is a strength, going to some uncomfortable places and being more relevant than I thought it would be. Despite the fact that you're having fun, that doesn't necessarily mean that everything will end up okay, and I appreciated being reminded of that at various points. 

Music + 60s + Anya Taylor-Joy dancing = hypnosis

The film's strengths are threefold: Wright's direction and music passion, the cast, and the 60s time period. The three of these combined create rather intoxicating scenes where I couldn't have ripped my eyes away if I wanted to. A large reason for this is the doe-eyed and effortlessly watchable Anya Taylor-Joy who basically channels Beth Harmon's (The Queen's Gambit) sassier/edgier side the entire time here. London 60's are accurately captured with clothing, fashion, settings (including a huge opening banner for Connery's 007 Thunderball!), and of course, music. While I'm not sure 60s music is at the top of many people's playlists, it works miraculously here, being fun when it needs to, seductive at times, and haunting during others. The wide range is impressive and surprising how effective it can be. 

While already mentioning Anya Taylor-Joy, I'd be lying if I didn't reiterate how great she is in the role. There's not enough difficulty to warrant awards talk, but more so she's just the perfectly cast person in a role full of seduction and mystery. Thomasin McKenzie, who you may recognize from JoJo Rabbit, is solid too as the primary lead and a fish-out-of-water/descent-into-madness role. Outside of them, the rest of the cast does fine, but it's really their film - they are always on screen - so it just works.

"Excuse me, do you play chess?"

Last Night in Soho is probably one of the more unique films I feel like I've seen in a while and I enjoyed it a lot. It's unlikely to set the movie world on fire and not everything it does works (though, nothing falls flat on its face either) but between the unique setting, premise, and a talented, stylish director taking on a new genre, there's more than enough here that should entice you to put your butt in a seat for 2 hours.

CONS

• Small complaint but Eloise's powers are really underexplained
• Twists aren't super surprising, even if I did like them
• Few areas where it feels like its buying time
• Wish there had been a more even split of 60s and modern day

PROS

• Wright's direction style does a lot to make this feel different
• Unique story and approach that isn't afraid to go darker than you may expect
• Excellent use and manipulation of 60s music. Who woulda thunk?!
• 60s scenes are excellent thanks to some set pieces, fashion, and the music
• Strong cast anchored by a dedicated McKenzie and a hypnotic Taylor-Joy
• Story has fun twists and turns, ultimately with a good ending
• Fun, decent horror bits, and definitely unique

Rath's Review Score | 8/10