Danvers Mail

Last Night in Soho

Last Night in Soho – 2021 (Drama, Horror, Mystery)
rated    –    star starstarstarstar

I have so many things going through my mind right now! Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Baby Driver”) does it again, and this time in a mixed genre film that was everything I wanted it to be and more. Let me preface this review with the fact that if you have any desire to see this, please don’t read other reviews or anything about it. As always, my reviews are spoiler-free and mainly my thoughts and feelings about the film, cast, and crew. A word of warning, the film has a lot of horror elements and flashing lights, so just in case either of those bothers you.

I’m going to start by saying that I’m a huge Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit,” “Split”), and while she was great in this, it was Thomasin McKenzie (“Jojo Rabbit,” “Leave No Trace”) who stole the show. Even in the scenes with Anya and Thomasin, the latter cast a spell on the audience and left me glued to the screen from start to finish.

I was excited about this film from the day I heard about it. Edgar Wright has a fantastic track record of some excellent films, along with those listed above; he also directed “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Hot Fuzz,” and “The World’s End.” The little I knew about it, period, location, etc., gave me a feeling that it would be a blast. The irony is that I didn’t know what genre the film was for a pretty good reason. While you could call it a psychological thriller at ground level, it also fits in with parts horror, drama, and so much more. 

Each year there is usually a film that sticks out to me as being the best of the year. “The Bronze” in 2015, “La La Land” in 2016, “The Greatest Showman” in 2017, “Bad Times at the El Royale” in 2018, “Knives Out” in 2019, or “Promising Young Woman” last year. These films all have a special place in my heart and left me with unforgettable memories. I feel like it will be impossibly hard for anything to beat “Last Night in Soho” for this year’s favorite film. To be fair, the film isn’t flawless; however, anywhere that it fails, Wright manages to correct it shortly after.
I’ve read the issues some have with the film, and while I would never tell someone they’re wrong, I will say that I appreciate it for the feeling that I experienced while watching. Sadly, one of my most significant issues is with the casting of “Jack” and the “Silver Haired Gentleman” both are played by well-known actors, and I think that takes something away from the experience as a whole. Their performances aren’t bad but for some reason, knowing who they are takes you out of the moment. Unlike the rest of the cast that I knew, I’m having difficulty reconciling why these two specifically were an issue for me. They weren’t so much of a problem that it changed my opinion of the film as a whole, though!

I’m hoping that we get either “The French Dispatch” or “Spencer” next weekend, although if not, it’ll still be exciting with it being the opening weekend of Marvel’s newest film, “Eternals.”

Where to watch:
 IN THEATERS NOW

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