I remember when the first trailer came out on the web. There was a lot of speculation, theories about what we were going to see, and all of this hovered a huge admiration for its atmosphere and editing. Personally, I watched it 3 times as soon as I came home from work and I could do it in decent conditions, being relaxed and not while working on collecting various news, which I often write about. I belong to the group of unfortunates who have only heard about "Baby Driver" and other productions of this director. Maybe I know him from other productions, but I don't want to test it for the purposes of reviews - maybe someday, when I feel like something different from Edgar Wright. And it will definitely come to that, because "Last night in Soho" is my personal candidate for the best film of this year! I doubt that anything this year (at least in mainstream cinema) will surprise me. Maybe a smaller production that didn't have such a good trailer or a strong promotional campaign. Anyway, if I see something that will delight me even more, I will be in a big shock.
Like I said, it's hard to say anything about this movie after the announcement. I will not compare it to the production of Marvel etc. because it's not this league, and most of all, not this genre. I can't remember a movie that intrigued me in a comparable way (I'm skipping the hype here because I'm not talking about it), and even if I don't remember one, I don't think there are too many such cases. The trailer perfectly outlined what we can expect, without revealing a lot of important information. Nay! We got a few different clues that, although they take place in the film and the advertisement did not lie (or in other words, because some people get stuck - it advertised the movie so that certain slogans can be easily called a lie), which too often happens in marketing, it is because of hiding some important details, we have a completely different approach to this film than at a time when we could only imagine what it will be about. The director surprises us very often - with strong scenes, ingenuity, direction, script, editing and other things. It hits us with its language, its literalness, its showing the dirt in our lives. I don't know about you, assuming you watched this movie, but I felt a few times when Edgar Wright poured a wash bucket on me as a viewer. I felt like during the "Black Swan" by Darren Aronofsky or the anime "Perfect Blue" by Satoshi Kon (I recommend both titles, excellent images - just be warned, they will be hard and exhausting sessions, especially PB in my opinion). But it wasn't crap like from Zack Snyder or the director of Halloween Kills. It was the kind of crap that is well thought out, and we take pleasure in seeing what we see. Lest it were, I'm not talking about human suffering, but how well and artistically it was invented and realized. In addition, using elements from the real world, which not everyone is aware of. The difference is that the director perfectly translated it into the language of the film, using the possibilities offered by this type of art.
For this reason, I will not write much about the plot and characters. This paragraph will be extremely short. A young and talented Eloise, she went to study in London. This is a typical quiet mouse by character - she comes from a small town, her mother has passed away. After arriving in the capital of England, she quickly learns that living in a large agglomeration differs from the peaceful reality in which she grew up. Simply put - due to her beauty, figure and sweet, innocent face, she gets offers from potential sugar daddy who offer her sex for money. It's not any better in the dorm - her friends are fake, spoiled, mean women. Extremely cruel and two-faced, on top of that. The way of life in the student dormitory also does not suit her - loud parties, ubiquitous sex. When she is in a difficult situation, she accidentally comes across an announcement from an old lady. She liked the room, the owner listens to the same music as she does (general topic that some people especially love the past decades. As I love the turn of the '80s and' 90s, it was extremely attractive to me), the other conditions suit her, so she changed her address. However, she did not expect this choice to affect her life so much. Or at least the beginning of her learning about designing fashionable clothes.
Since I can't write anything about the plot, I will describe the beauty of this film to you using other examples. Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy did their job brilliantly. Due to the fact that they played great + the director keeps the viewers secret almost to the very end, and before that he gave a few clues that suggested various explanations, I was delighted throughout the screening. Watching them in one shot or interacting between them was pure pleasure for the eye. It was so thought and filmed that I will have to watch the movie at least one more time to catch every frame and flavor that Edgar Wright puts on. As for the rest of the actors, I have no complaints about them, but they didn't have much room for themselves - they were only an addition to the two characters. If I had to judge them, McKenzie made a bigger impression on me and I think she played better than Taylor-Joy. How should I say it ... Hmm, I'm a bit disappointed with this actress's performance. Take it easy, I remember what I wrote a moment ago, I just expected something better after her performance in "The Queen's Gambit". For example, more diverse facial expressions, eye games, body language - she is extremely talented in this respect. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that in the Netflix series she showed more emotions, different facial expressions and was more magnetic. If you would understand me correctly - she played great here, if I hadn't seen a series about chess before, I would probably be delighted and I would have a real problem with saying which one did their job better. I just had higher expectations for her and expected a 10/10 show and got an 8.5 / 10. Probably some of you think it's bullshit and I'm picking on it makes no sense - cool, your right. However, I believe that she could do better. Concluding the topic of actresses, let me mention that I did not know McKenzie before. I know her face from a few movies, but I wouldn't be able to name them without looking at IMDB. Her performance simply charmed me, I hope she will win an Oscar (and, above all, she will be nominated), because she deserved it. They have a fantastic future ahead of them, and I hope to be able to follow their careers over the next decades.
When it comes to the audio-visual setting, I could sum it up with one sentence that would perfectly reflect its beauty and my impressions - A fucking work of art. As I wrote in my review, I love 80s and 90s art and culture. I realize that I idealize them a bit and my perspective is incomplete, but it was better in some respects (and worse in others). Edgar Wright refers to thoughts that have surely passed through the mind of people who have a positive (or negative) approach to the past. Maybe I don't remember well, but I think I praised every conversation between the characters about it, even if it wasn't exactly what I thought about it so far. Developing the first sentence of this paragraph, even though the movie didn't have many special effects and its budget was around $ 45 million, I was thrilled with how James Cameron's "Avatar" or a comparable show was. I absorbed this image - every detail and the whole of it. Perhaps my praise is exaggerated, but I have not seen such a work of art for a long time. A wonderful composition of image and sound, a combination of multi-colored colors that have been thrown with dirt in a controlled manner. Some of the sequences are well-directed music videos, with perfectly matched and selected sound. Sounds in the form of hits from the times of our parents' youth. If I had to compare it to something, I'd say it was better than in "Guardians of the Galaxy". There are some things to complain about in this movie but in that aspect James Gunn did a good job. Here we also have a stylization for the old days and a beautifully portrayed London, which is a great complement to the soundtrack.
To sum up, I am fascinated in many fields. Acting, directing, screenplay, effects (I can't call them special ... I guess. If you watch, you'll understand what I mean), games with colors, light, image, editing and clever use of many great tropes that cinema has invented over the decades. Yes, there are a few, maybe even a dozen or so plates borrowed from other productions, but Edgar Wright transferred them so well to his film that I can only bow. It also has some minor flaws, but the first time they hardly bothered me at all. Except for one thread that I will not reveal so as not to spoil it. Maybe I will write about him in the spoiler review, after the second screening, if I do not forget. And this one is sure to come in 6 months, so expect at least 1 more text. Maybe 2, because I had the idea of writing some sexist text (which is what they think young girls on the left and their beta boys) on one thread. Anyway, it's the future, and for the moment, I rate this movie 10/10. Maybe a bit stretched, but IMO deservedly looking at the overall picture. I was a bit sad when I looked in the Box-Office of that movie. He's been in theaters for quite a long time, and only grossed 22 million (I am writing this on December 1st). Well, another example where good art doesn't always sell (not to say often doesn't sell) and needs the help of fans and reviewers to promote this outstanding title. I would understand if it was some kind of niche cinema, not a title with a reputable director and good actresses ... Well, you will have to buy a copy for your home collection to support the profit of the film.