Last Night in Soho review from LeBeau's le Blog

https://lebeauleblog.com/2022/07/02/last-night-in-soho/

Edgar Wright’s twisty, time-hopping thriller, Last Night in Soho, is new to streaming on HBO Max. This is a movies I was interested in seeing in theaters, so I was very excited to get a chance to check it out over the long weekend. I definitely recommend seeing the movie. Preferably with as little foreknowledge as possible. I went into this one completely unspoiled and I’m glad I did. To that end, I will share some general thoughts to give readers an idea of whether or not they might like it before diving into specifics of the plot. There will be fair warning before the spoilers start.

I generally like Edgar Wright movies, but I am not among his most ardent fans. I am not familiar with his early TV work. Like a lot of Americans, I was introduced to Wright through Shaun of the Dead. Readers are likely already familiar with Wright’s Cornetto (Shaun, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End) on which he collaborated with Simon Pegg. But the movie that seems to have defined Wright’s solo work was the 2010 release, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Pilgrim was a highly stylized adaptation of an indie comic book that drew heavily from the visual language of video games.

Most recently, Write wrote and directed the hyper-kinetic car chase flick, Baby Driver. Driver thrilled critics and audiences with stylish car chases set to music. It’s an undeniably fun movie, but I couldn’t help feeling it was over-rated. Like Baby Driver, Last Night in Soho is arguably more flash than substance. But it’s probably not over-rated. Reviews were good, though not stellar and Soho failed to connect with audiences in theaters. Maybe many of them are finding it on streaming like I did.

Last Night in Soho is a gorgeous movie with a terrific cast. The soundtrack and fashions are dripping with sixties nostalgia. That’s not a decade I personally have a lot of fondness for, but it was impossible to resist Soho‘s charms in the first act. The appeal is amplified by Anya Taylor-Joy who is never less than captivating. The actual protagonist of the film, Thomasin McKenzie, was a fresh face to me. I will be watching what she does next. The supporting cast includes ringers like Matt Smith, Terrence Stamp and Diana Rigg.

From early on, it’s clear that the sixties nostalgia hides something darker. Even during the fantasy scenes, there’s a sense that something is going to go wrong. Eloise (McKenzie) is a bright-eyed student who lives in a version of the 1960’s based on Petula Clark and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She’s troubled by the death of her mother who appears to her from time to time. Eloise’s grandmother sends her off to follow her dreams with a mix of excitement and concern that the city will overwhelm her. And her worries are not unwarranted.

There’s an expectation that Soho‘s fizzy escapism won’t last. Reality or something darker is bound to intrude eventually. From the first scene, it’s apparent that Eloise is an unreliable narrator. The reality of life as a fashion student quickly falls short of her expectations. A darker turn is expected, but Soho went several steps farther than I thought it would. The final act veers into horror movie territory, so maybe give it a pass if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing.

Despite some shortcomings with the third act, I enjoyed Last Night in Soho enough to recommend it. I feel like the ending muddles the message of the movie. Wright seems to be telling is to beware nostalgia but the final reveals don’t make a ton of sense.

If you haven’t seen Last Night in Soho and you plan to, stop reading. You should see it unspoiled. Beyond this point, I am going to talk about plot specifics.