Last Night In Soho Movie Review:

 

Just this past week, I was lucky enough to attend the Toronto International Film Festival for the first time ever. And one of those very big films I was fortunate enough to secure a ticket for was director Edgar Wright's latest genre bending film Last Night In Soho which was easily one of my most anticipated films of this entire year. Edgar Wright has long been one of my filmmakers in the world from films such as Baby Driver, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and The Cornetto Trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End), so to hear him now dive into a full on horror film and really branch out obviously really excited me. Not to mention the first teaser that was released is honestly one of my favorite trailers from the past few years. And now having seen it, I'm so happy to say that at least for my money Edgar Wright has delivered yet again a relentlessly entertaining and also wonderfully crafted psychological horror film that really illustrates how far he's evolved as a filmmaker. 

This is without a doubt Wright's most ambitious and distinctive film yet. We've seen a few of Wright's previous films in the past tackle on the horror genre in at least small doses, Hot Fuzz being the obvious prime example, but each of those were still very much comedies at their heart. Soho definitely still carries a bit of Wright's comedic sensibilities, there's moments of well placed levity, but a comedy this is certainly not. This is very much a dark psychological horror film that I believe also has shades of an old school noir mystery and harkens back to giallo horror. While Wright does use a few more traditional jump scares, I think the horror elements are very effective and even quite visceral with one sequence in particular that has continued to linger in my mind. It is perhaps Wright's most interesting film yet thematically, as I love how he explores the idea of nostalgia and how dangerous it can be if we let it eventually consume us. Soho still contains plenty of the high qualities we expect from his own signature style, not only the top tier editing choices, but also a killer soundtrack with very perfectly timed needle drops. It's every bit as stylish as any film he's made in the past and it should come as little surprise that the editing throughout is some of the best I've seen all year.

Two of the very best young actresses of their generation in Anya Taylor-Joy & Thomasin McKenzie headline this film as our leading stars. Taylor-Joy has continually already proven herself to be such a superstar in the making most recently with her breakout turn in Netflix limited series The Queen's Gambit, and here she is once again an absolute powerhouse with every single moment she has, stealing the entire show whenever she's on screen. But as simply outstanding as she is, this is definitely McKenzie's show from beginning to end. From Leave No Trace to most recently JoJo Rabbit, McKenzie has already made such a huge name for herself and now having the spotlight as the main character, she gives the best performance of her career yet as Eloise Turner. It's a sympathetic, sometimes heartbreaking, and challenging performance that will surely help lead her into becoming a bigger household name soon enough. We do still also get some excellent supporting work from the always great Terrence Stamp, and Matt Smith. And in particular the late & great Diana Rigg who is nothing short of terrific in unfortunately her now final performance.  

This is a difficult film to talk too much about without treading into spoiler territory, but what I will say is Wright definitely takes a lot of bold approaches both stylistically and narratively. Risky choices that are already proving this to be quite the divisive film amongst those that have seen it, particularly within the directions the third act of this film takes, many of which certainly caught me off guard. There are many twist and turns as the film's mystery begins to unravel. And I can definitely understand why some of these directions will not sit as well for some viewers, but just speaking for myself personally I was on board for about every choice Wright makes and I ultimately found the film to also have a very satisfying payoff which is obviously so crucial for any film. That's not to say I found this to be a perfect movie by any means, I do think it occasionally stumbles when it almost becomes too ambitious in its chaotic finale, but again Wright I think brought everything home with a strong conclusion that ties everything up really well.  

Last Night In Soho clearly won't be for everybody, but as someone who has been eagerly anticipating this film for what feels like years now, it honestly delivered everything I wanted and more. It's a film where I think Wright is not only pushing boundaries for himself as a filmmaker, but also the horror genre in general. A twisted, stylish and relentlessly entertaining  cautionary fairy tale that I am already anxiously waiting to revisit. Most of Wright's films I find tend to play out even better on new viewings and I'm pretty sure Soho will be no different. One of the best films of the year overall. 

Letter Grade: A-