X
- 2021
- R
- Focus Features
- 1 h 56 m
- 2021
- R
- Focus Features
- 1 h 56 m
Summary Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie (Anya 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.
Directed By: Edgar Wright
Written By: Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Edgar Wright
- 2021
- R
- Focus Features
- 1 h 56 m
- 2021
- R
- Focus Features
- 1 h 56 m
Last Night in Soho
65
7.0
Where to Watch
Summary Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie (Anya 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.
Directed By: Edgar Wright
Written By: Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Edgar Wright
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 55 Critic Reviews
65
64% Positive
35 Reviews
35 Reviews
29% Mixed
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
7% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 55 Critic Reviews
65
64% Positive
35 Reviews
35 Reviews
29% Mixed
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
7% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
Left behind is [Wright's] trademark hyperactive editing and insistent post-modernism; in its place is flowing movement and intense emotion.
For all its scattershot reference points, however, Last Night in Soho still emerges as Wright’s most personal film – you can feel how much he loves the material. Frankly, I felt the same way.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 282 User Ratings
7.0
70% Positive
196 Ratings
196 Ratings
23% Mixed
66 Ratings
66 Ratings
7% Negative
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 282 User Ratings
7.0
70% Positive
196 Ratings
196 Ratings
23% Mixed
66 Ratings
66 Ratings
7% Negative
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
Overall Last Night in Soho's way-back machine delivers a thrilling trip, one that niftily brings a bit more Taylor-Joy to the world.
This visual and aural feast does have a stumble or two on the dance floor, though in the 11th hour, Wright manages to right the ship, with an assist from the ever-reliable Taylor-Joy.
The temptation is to wish that Wright had simply made a horror movie set in the Sixties, that he’d streamlined things a tad more and simply kept his revisionist look at the Carnaby-and-cocktails glamorous life in that bygone moment. But he’s after something a little bigger, and if Last Night in Soho comes across as being stuck in a tonal interzone, you have to admire how Wright is so intent on drawing a line between then and now.
The film is at its best when holding back details and sculpting fine character details, but the intensity is ramped up far too early and it becomes increasingly tough to take the plot seriously, or build an emotional connection with its climactic revelations.
Depraved, delirious, and downright stupid, Last Night in Soho is two hours of amateurish drivel by B-movie director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead) that pretends to be half-retro Swingin’ Sixties comedy and half-horror thriller.
It's pretty but shallow, with depth coming from superficial places that are never completely fleshed out in meaningful ways.
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I love Edgar Wright, he's one of my favourite contemporary creatives and some of his works rank amongst my top favourites such as Hot Fuzz and Spaced. Naturally, I was eager to check out his latest offering, something that's different from his normal body of work. Last Night in Soho (2021) is a Horror, Mystery, Drama about an enthusiastic aspiring designer from the countryside going to a prestigious London college of arts where she encounters the ability to visit the city in the 60s that starts wreaking havoc in her life after the glam and glimmer subsides. The film shines when it comes to the cinematography, editing, set designs, soundtrack, and costumes, where even with the restraint shown, justified for the story and tone, you still get that Edgar Wright style that makes his movies stand out. It can be gorgeous with some amazing camera work and long takes. I enjoyed the performances too. Thomasin McKenzie as the lead was able to carry the film on her shoulders quite well, for the most part. Accompanying her was the gorgeous Anya Taylor-Joy who, as in pretty much everything else I've seen her in, was great. The supporting cast does a good enough job.
For the first half or so, you aren't exactly sure where the story is going and the mystery was enticing although, the themes weren't original nor were the social commentary and a lot of it was only superficially deep. Still, the horror elements intertwined with the tale plus the execution made it entertaining albeit not nearly as hard-hitting as I'd hoped it would be. However, when everything starts panning out around the final act, the story just fumbled and got all floompy. You can surely understand the tragic tale the film is going for but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. The entire finale was unsatisfactory which sadly brought down the whole experience for me.
I always appreciate it when an artist tries to branch out into different genres from what they're known for and I do applaud Edgar Wright for doing that but this is, without a doubt, the weakest of his works I've experienced. I'd still recommend it giving it a try, you might enjoy it a lot more than me. But as it stands, this was a disappointing watch for me but there were still elements I appreciated and was also entertained for a lot of the runtime. And if I were to rate it, I'd give it a 6.5/10.
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An absolute piece of garbage. Speechless. If you find yourself endorsing this film, you might want to question if you’re actually human. Nothing here. A low point for film.
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Production Company
Focus Features International (FFI),
Film4,
Perfect World Pictures,
Working Title Films,
Complete Fiction
Release Date Oct 29, 2021
Duration 1 h 56 m
Rating R
Tagline A murder in the past. A mystery in the future.
Awards
BloodGuts UK Horror Awards
• 3 Wins & 10 Nominations
Hawaii Film Critics Society
• 4 Wins & 9 Nominations
Hollywood Critics Association
• 2 Wins & 8 Nominations
