Directed By Edgar Wright

Starring – Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith

The Plot – In acclaimed director Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller, Eloise (McKenzie), an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie (Taylor-Joy). But the glamour is not all it appears to be and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.

Rated R for bloody violence, sexual content, adult language, brief drug material and brief graphic nudity

last night in soho trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

– Wright of passage. In over twenty-five years as a directorial presence, Edgar Wright has cemented one of the more consistently pleasing filmographies by comparison, but where consistency resonates an air of familiarity to his passionate audience, “Last Night In Soho” is anything but conventional on nearly every measure of the scale. For starters, it’s the first horror movie for Edgar, bringing with him the style and evocative psychology of 70’s thrillers, like “Suspiria” or “A Hatchet For the Honeymoon”, to which the film paints a respectable homage of sorts towards. In emulating such a creatively diverse and visually invigorating pallet that is unlike anything he’s ever attempted, Wright is able to grow and challenge himself in ways that no other comedy he’s directed simply could, allowing us the audience the interpretation for the passion and creativity in excitement that allows his films the ability to leap off of the screen. In an age where directors are phoning in familiarity in projects simply to pay the rent, Wright is expanding his reach with his most intensely gripping project to date, and that alone is at the very least admirable when you consider he’s a director who is constantly out to challenge himself, as well as us the audience for what we expect out of him.

– Social commentary. It’s that much more meaningful when a horror film is able to tap into an unnerving element of society, and use it to flesh out conscience in the beats of its story. Similar to what “Get Out” did for getting the word out about the subconscious uneasiness of black people around white-dominated engagements, so too does “Last Night In Soho”, but this time it’s the ladies taking the lead, in order to illustrate the vulnerability and isolation of being a young girl in such a big city, where nobody knows you exist. In doing such, it taps into many social stigmas, primarily the wet blanket of nerves that these ladies feel when being pursued predatorially by her male suitors, offering a nightmarish reality that is unfortunately a problem that is just as prominent now as it ever was then. In addition to this, the film can also be defined as a cautionary tale of sorts for nostalgic addiction, an aspect of our own world that grows stronger with each passing generation. This can be evidenced in fashion styles, or cinematic renderings, which often prescribe the idea of how great things used to be, while simultaneously conveying what is lacking from our own contemporary creative imagination.

– Hypnotic style. Whether in the strokes of some remarkable computer generation bringing to life London, England during the flower power generation, or the variety of lighting schemes at Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung’s disposal, the film is a spell-binding entrancement of ingredients that each add a scintillating element to the transferring terror on-screen. There’s so many visual cues in the latter that often illustrate the duality in these respective time periods, but also is able to tie them together into one unifying visual identity for the film. I also appreciated the practicality effects of the transformations between the characters of McKenzie and Taylor-Joy, who weave in and out of frame so smoothly that the gimmick of them emulating the same person while in-camera feels more compelling and believable than ever. As for the transformative landscapes, the big, bold billboards of downtown prescribe ambition to the dreamer’s tale, encompassing a seductive glow and infectious energy that make them the irresistibly magnetic influence that serves as the welcome mat for many dark and deceitful characters persisting inside.

– Collective favorites. Once again, music is a driving element of the film, this time one that connects the characters of two disparate era’s, serving as the driving force for much of the narrative. In taking pride with the opportunity, we’re treated to the smooth crooning of Peter Gordon, the soulful sprinkle of Dusty Springfield, and the thunderous orchestral achievements of The John Barry Orchestra, whose toe-tapping inspiration will be enough to make this a must-own soundtrack. Even despite these big names, however, it’s Anya Taylor-Joy who is the show-stealer, lending her actual vocals to Petula Clark’s “Downtown” with such a beautifully haunting rendition that prescribes new life to the decades old favorite. Composer Steven Price is the man to blame for it all, and with his bold but respectable volume influence in the context of the scene, feels like characters inside of the film constructing a different dimension to the tonal evolution.

– Carnage candy. Part of what allows Wright the opportunity to succeed with this particular genre is grandeur of gore that while surprisingly sporadic throughout, is highly impactful when it does materialize. The gashes themselves are made all the more visceral with an intricate sound design that articulates all of the slicing devastation of protruding penetration like the sharpest of nails on a chalkboard. Likewise, the corresponding visual depiction in the shot composition not only offers an unabashed focus on the impacting devastation, but also does so while articulating some creative angles of articulation that creatively reflect the physical conflicts on everything from an overhead mirror, to even the very same knife being used to permanently humble the victim in context. It makes this an unmistakable horror film, and one that doubles down enthrallingly on the sought-after R-rating that is something marketed purely for adults for a change.

– Ladies night. Male companions like Matt Smith and Terrance Stamp do a fine enough job with what’s asked of them, but between McKenzie, Taylor-Joy, and the retiring Diana Rigg supplanting career best turns between them, this was never going to be their film. McKenzie is evolving into one of my favorite youthful starlets, here garnering an intensity in eye and facial acting that elevates the intensity in every scene, while adding a bountiful depth to the vulnerability that outshines her often lukewarm characterization. For Anya Taylor-Joy, the eyes are also a factor, but in a way that is ominously underlining of the atmospheric influences that she’s constantly a victim of, combining empathy and urgency in a way that corresponds with her sagging stature the longer she’s a part of this environment. Even despite both McKenzie and Taylor-Joy’s compelling work at the forefront of the story, it’s Rigg who stole the show for me. In a lesser helmed film, her character would be slept upon, but her cynical vantage point of the nostalgic age that McKenzie’s character wears like a badge of pride gives her a lived-in believability that is explored in anything but a topical level, allowing Diana a riveting final chapter to her cherished career.

NEGATIVES

– Painfully disorienting. With the first and third acts of this movie feeling especially stronger to me, it made the weaknesses of the second act all the more trivial by comparison. Part of the problem is certainly in the ambiguity of the imagery that we’re being shown, refusing to advance the plot with exposition in a way that keeps the mystery constantly unfurling, and instead feeling repetitive for these 35 minutes during the experience. I’m not asking for the movie to hold my hand with information, but I needed more context to everything I was seeing, to which I comprehended capably in the first, second, or third time they showed it. But the bigger problem is one that is reflective of the plot itself, in which Wright’s luster for nostalgia hinders the compelling nature of the story pertaining to 2021, which often feels underdeveloped and marred by a series of cliches that this film unfortunately can’t escape. It’s not to say that what is visually being conveyed isn’t compelling, just that narratively it stalls with disappointing frustration, making the climactic third act stand out all the more because of a return to conventional storytelling that put me right back on track.

– Predictability. Nobody is going to believe me, but I called both of the two third act twists minutes into the second act of this story. Call it my experience with my favorite genre, or even the obvious detections in aspects of the script that were unnecessary without further elaboration, but the twists themselves didn’t bring with them the jaw-dropping revelations that the movie so desperately wanted, and instead left me audibly stating “Duh, of course so” more than a couple of times throughout. This didn’t completely hinder the effectiveness of the third act for me, but it is one that definitely underscores the dramatic effect of the movie more than I’m sure Wright would’ve intended, leaving the resolution as the least interesting part in a mystery with so much ambiguity to its concept and essential set-up.

– Potential unexplored. Without question, the most intriguing thematic aspect of the film to me, was the subplot with Eloise’s deceased mother, and her ensuing connection to city of London itself. This is hinted on often during the opening scenes, especially with Eloise’s grandmother illuminating a path of concern with her younger protagonist, based on the supposed experiences of her Mother. Not only this, but the mother subplot as a whole feels virtually unnecessary to everything contained in this film. Maybe it’s just to add further empathy to her character, but you could’ve mentioned this aspect without frequently showing her reflection, or echoing the sentiments of the aforementioned grandmother during the first act. Part of it is to obviously show Eloise’s inability to fully cope with the grief that has since consumed her, but I feel there’s a deeper psychological delve into the character that goes completely unaddressed during the film’s climactic third act, and one I wish the movie would’ve used in constructing emphasis to everything she’s a victim of during the film’s imagery.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-