Last Night in Soho
Director: Edgar Wright
Writer: Edgar Wright, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, Michael Ajao
Reason for watching: New Edgar Wright movie! And it’s a new release
Number of times I’ve watched it: first-time viewing
***
Four years since his last project, Edgar Wright flexes his muscle once again and gives us a strong style-filled picture to keep us on our toes. But this time, he delivers us an anxiety-inducing horror movie, diverging from his usual path of action and adventure. Man is it the right kind of adrenaline boost that a horror movie could use, and in spades.
Last Night in Soho follows young Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) as she moves into London to start fashion school. Not fitting in with her classmates right away, she takes up a room in Ms. Collins’ (Diana Rigg) flat. At night she finds her dreams filled with visions of 1960s London, where she follows upcoming singer Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy) in the mirror as Sandie struggles with her manager Jack (Matt Smith) to find a spot on the stage. As her visions of Sandie and Jack’s encounters turn violent, Eloise tries to dig up any evidence she can find regarding Sandie, all the while losing her ability to separate reality from her dreams and going crazy along the way.
First of all, our leading ladies in McKenzie and Taylor-Joy both deliver excellent performances. McKenzie really brings out the anxiety and fear in her character with amazing effort. Her evident distress as the story goes one of the movie’s strongest assets. Taylor-Joy has a larger-than-life persona and seems every bit a celebrity when she is on screen. I doubt the young star has let her recent success due to Queen’s Gambit get to her head, but she certainly seems aware of her stardom. Supporting performances by Smith, Riggs, and Michael Ajao (who plays a friend of Eloise in the presence) round out the cast well.
If you not have seen Edgar Wright’s movies, his pop style is apparent and something to behold. As a matter of fact, I would recommend watching Baby Driver or Scott Pilgrim vs. The World immediately if you have not seen any of his movies. Often times he synchronizes the soundtrack or score up with the movement of his characters down to a “t.” The attention to detail feels almost Kubrickian, but without all of the creepy things that Kubrick was known for. The genre shift over to horror from action works exceedingly well for Wright. His fast-paced nature really drives Eloise’s and the viewers’ anxiety through the roof as the world of the movie becomes a mishmash of reality and nightmares.
In addition, there is some brief conversation of family mental illness history for Eloise that seems well-intentioned, but it is not drawn on enough to really make an impact. Plus it is never really alluded to if her illness is the reason why she has these visions of Sandie. It combines well with the horror element to see Eloise’s panic compound on her, but no healthy conversation is ever had about it nor are any treatment suggestions made. Being that mental illness is a very real issue that is almost never accurately portrayed, I cannot let its portrayal in this movie slide. Another item worth mentioning is a twist that comes near the end of the movie. I would not say it detracts from the actual plot or my enjoyment of the movie but it felt as if it was right out of an M. Night Shyamalan movie, which does take you out of the movie especially due its proximity to the end of the movie.
But those items do not take away from my overall enjoyment. Again Wright delivers a well-made movie and meshes his own unique flare with a horror genre that can often feel stale in the modern era. The strong performances keep us engaged and interested as well. So far, this is the best horror movies of the year.
8/10
Until I see another one