El misterio de Soho

His conquered the living dead with nothing more than unwanted vinyl records, alien invaders in small country towns and even managed to wrangle baby drivers but there's no doubt Last Night in Soho is beloved British director and critical darling Edgar Wright's most ambitious film yet and a film that doesn't always reach the lofty goals it sets for itself even if its a beautifully shot and unique thriller mixed with horror elements.

His first film narrative feature film since Baby Driver in 2017, Soho is undoubtedly a labor of love for Wright who produces his most un-Wright feeling film yet, that follows Thomasin McKenzie's country girl fashion designer to London, where her rental of a small bedroom apartment leads her to experience vivid and increasingly frightening visions into the life of a seemingly real London resident of the 60's named Sandie (a mesmerizing Anya Taylor-Joy) creating a very late 60's/70's feeling feature that struggles to keep itself on the rails as the runtime wears on.

Magnificently capturing the time and place of the London era of the setting with help from Old Boy and Handmaiden cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung (delivering Oscar worthy work) and some eclectic and toe tapping concoction of classic tunes from the era that once more suggests Wright is right up there with Quentin Tarantino when it comes to sound-tracking his films and particular scenes, Soho has a lot to admire and for its first 30 to 40 minutes things rollick along at a great pace with a lot of intrigue in what's happening and what's around the corner but the film does get into a mid to late section funk that becomes both repetitive and a little too much to handle narrative wise.

You can see what Wright was trying too do and how he wanted his film to evolve but that doesn't excuse the loop we end up getting stuck in and the sometimes questionable choices that Eloise makes (with some added overacting by a trying hard but not always hitting the mark McKenzie) and while visually and atheistically everything is always of a very high standard, there's a coldness to the story of Soho and it never quite works as well as you'd like as a mystery or a fully fledged horror that it at times appears to be wanting to be.

In amongst all of the narrative let downs and feeling that it never quite hits the marks it sets for itself is the continued great work of Taylor-Joy whose growing into one of the most interesting actors working today, a fairly chilling performance from the usually likable Matt Smith and a central plot that at the very least doesn't play things out in the usual schtick, making Soho far from a complete misfire but nothing more than an intriguing could've been film that I am sure Wright and his fanbase will look back on in days to come as a missed opportunity to create something spectacular.

Final Say -

A film that sets itself a tricky task its never fully able to handle, Last Night in Soho is a high quality feature that can't ever quite juggle its various elements into a final product that feels worthy of its goals.

3 Vesper's out of 5.

I understand what Edgar Wright tried to do, but I could not help but feel that this story would have been more intersting if it were less horror focused and more of a straightforward mystery with flashbacks.

From the writer-director of Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy comes a stylishly crafted, smartly photographed & skilfully acted psychological horror that's swirling with nostalgia & affection for the Swinging Sixties. Last Night in Soho attempts to capture the dangers of romanticising the past while showcasing the dark side of show business only to throw it all away in the end.

Co-written & directed by Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim & Baby Driver), the first hour is carried out rather well with steady build-up and deft juggling of drama & mystery but the story also falls flat once it enters the third & final act. The horror elements don't pack a thrilling punch either, offering nothing new or effective. As for the script, the writing is substandard at best and required more polish.

The camera also exhibits restraint in its manoeuvring which is unusual for a Wright film but that doesn't mean it's lacking creativity, for it still packs some neat techniques & ingenious tricks. Editing is inconsistent with the narrative flow & pacing while the music brims with 1960s flavours. Thomasin McKenzie & Anya Taylor-Joy contribute with splendid performances and are finely supported by the rest of the cast.

Overall, Last Night in Soho is visually striking and has no trouble whatsoever in transporting its viewers to a bygone era but it also runs out of ideas as it nears its conclusion and settles for an insipid ending. The film does impress in bits n pieces, especially with its neon-bathed visuals, meticulous production design & clever camerawork, but it doesn't amount to a lot in the end. In short, Edgar Wright's latest is amongst his weakest.

Following a girl named Ellie from the countryside, she enters the busy world of London where she pursues her career in fashion design. Only one problem... she sees things.

The first half started well with a glimpse of mystery as Ellie has dreams of a glamorous life in Soho living through a girl named Sandie. The film techniques used were well thought out too. As the film goes on it gets draining trying to keep up with Ellie and her crazy antics. That was probably the point of the film but it would've been better as a thriller/mystery. I wish there was more suspense built within the film as well. If you watch a lot of psychological horrors or even thrillers, the storyline will be predictable for you so only watch this if you're not looking for a great plot twist but something discomforting and vulnerable.

This movie had me hooked from the beginning. The vibe of the neon, eerily upbeat 60s music, and intense cinematography, is unmatched. Acting was decent and the storyline unpredictable (at least to me). A well made movie that haunts, not scares.