Soho, Yet So Far

While I wouldn't have said that I'm an "Edgar Wright fan," I think the evidence says otherwise. I enjoyed all of his movies with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost well enough, loved Baby Driver, and was curious about his latest, Last Night in Soho.

This twisty mystery focuses on Ellie, a fashion school student who begins having vivid dreams of the 1960s. In these dreams, she follows -- and sometimes is -- would-be singer Sandie, as her efforts to pursue her own dreams descend into degradation and abuse. Ellie's life begins to fall apart as reality and vision bleed together, but she may be alright if she can solve a 50-year-old crime she witnesses.

Last Night in Soho includes a lot of what I loved about Baby Driver. The soundtrack plays an integral role, with exceptionally well-curated songs serving the plot and highlighting the action and emotion. The visuals are crafted with an obsessive degree of precision, yet they maintain a spontaneous and loose feeling. There's spectacular use of visual effects to render the impossibilities of dreams in clever, but rarely overly "showy," ways.

But the story is sadly just so insufficient. The movie clearly has a lot to say about women in the 60s versus today, but it only "half says" it; the movie transitions from enthusiastic nostalgia trip to deadly mystery without lingering very long on the social commentary. The side characters in the movie are so thinly developed that they can do nothing but service the plot; any examination of why they behave the way they do would only leave you frustrated.

This in turn makes the mystery quite superficial, as there really aren't enough "suspects" to keep the audience guessing. And so, in an effort to complicate the story, the movie doesn't play fair. While dreams can certainly be metaphorical and non-literal, nothing about the movie suggests this story is working that way -- until quite abruptly it does, in order to deliver a not-very-smart plot twist.

So, how much you like Last Night in Soho may have a lot to do with properly calibrating your expectations in advance. Don't go in expecting a compelling mystery; what's compelling here are the visuals. If a stylish, sleek, engaging first half is enough for you to forgive an unsatisfying conclusion, this first half is as stylish and sleek as they come. If you like Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp, or Matt Smith -- but are also fine if really only some of them actually get much to do, you'll find something to like here.

What Last Night in Soho does well, it does very well. But there's a lot it just doesn't do well. I give it a C+.