Last Night in Soho — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
It should go without saying now that Edgar Wright is a veteran of the film industry. Never overdoing it as far as how many films he makes, but only going out of his way to make something he feels is worth it. Beginning with comedy and slowly working his way through genres over the years, I have been a fan of his work for quite some time now. Baby Driver still being my favourite film of 2017 overall, I was very eager to see his next outing, Last Night in Soho. While I believe certain issues keep this film from being one of Wright’s best, here’s why I feel this is still a great film and why it should still be seen.
After arriving at fashion school in London, Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) finds herself unhappy in her dorm room. She quickly takes the opportunity to rent a room off-campus in order to remain sane. Loving the idea of London in the 1960s, she begins to have visions and all but physically travels back in time to the era she loves. Being able to follow a young woman with similar interests to hers, things seem great for young Eloise. This dream/vision is not all that it seems though. This film slowly devolves into chaos and many underlying messages begin to come to light.
Where this film didn’t quite win me over was the fact that I thought it was obvious where some of the film lead, while also being slightly disappointed with where Edgar Wright chose to conclude certain storylines. The overall concept of this film is incredibly fresh, but the execution felt a little sloppy at times. That’s not to say the film itself is sloppy though, because it most certainly isn’t. The editing here is superb and the clever effects/camera-trickery had me amazed on multiple occasions. Still, the overall flow of the movie could’ve been handled a little better in my opinion.
From the music to the neon lights, this film is gorgeous to look at. If for nothing else, I will remember Last Night in Soho for feeling vibrant, while also thrilling. There is a very unique look to this film, which a lot of films are missing nowadays. It was also very obvious that Edgar Wright had his hands all over this one. He also knows exactly how to cue music in his films and not a single song felt like it was ruining the scene. The technical aspects of an Edgar Wright film are impossible to critique for the most part.
In the end, Last Night in Soho tells a fantastic, thrilling story in a very solid movie overall. Yes, it has some glaring issues as the movie progresses, but I rather at least enjoyed where it all ended up. The conclusion was slightly less psychological than I was expecting, which actually threw me off in comparison to the rest of the film, but I was able to get over that. This is a very unique film that I believe film fans need to seek out this year. It’s not perfect, but I had a great time with it. Last Night in Soho is still playing in some theatres and is now streaming on-demand.
Rating: 4/5
Check out the trailer below:
