Last Night in Soho (2021)
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Last Night in Soho Movie Review
Last Night in Soho is a 2021 British psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright and starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy. It’s such a stylized, original flick.
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“I’m not going to prison
I’ve been in a prison all my life“
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An aspiring fashion designer is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer. However, the glamour is not all it appears to be, and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker. This is one of those cautionary tale movies that warn us about previous time periods and how romanticizing them is not a healthy habit. The sixties may have had better music, but everything else was significantly worse.
Depicting just to what lows women had to succumb in order to achieve success in the music industry was important as a great reminder of the sexism and toxic working environment that persisted throughout the twentieth century. The movie did not dig deeply enough into this issue, but a lot of true horror was mined from this very real issue that women faced on a regular basis.
One thing that wasn’t quite great in this movie is the addition of the ghouls. At first, some of these scenes were eerie enough and pleasantly reminiscent of Guillermo del Toro’s movies. Eventually however, they become overly used to the point of becoming rather repetitive. I wished for better fantastical elements overall.
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There is also some repetition to be found in the nightclub scenes both in the present and in the past, leading to the film’s runtime of two hours being the main culprit. If Wright made a shorter movie, it would have been much more impactful. Still, most of it was highly entertaining and enjoyable while the sheer authenticity of this world and storyline was commendable.
I saw the twist coming a bit earlier than it happened, but still it was very interesting and it made sense. The entire last sequence was powerfully executed and again reminiscent to the movies of the 2000s and 90s in the psychological horror elements. Not a lot of movies this day have this tone and imagination, so I was very happy with how it turned out for the most part.
The acting is absolutely outstanding. Matt Smith is memorable in a smaller role, Terence Stamp is superb as the mysterious red herring and Diana Rigg is very effective in a complicated, important role. The film making use of both older and younger actors at such a great capacity was wonderful to witness.
Anya Taylor-Joy is truly incredible as the elusive Sandie character. This actress should get even more roles after once again proving to be a magnetic screen presence after ‘The Queen’s Gambit’. She has such a cinematic look and was the perfect choice to play a 60s girl. As for Thomasin McKenzie, she is also fantastic. This girl is so good at everything that she does that I truly wish this movie proves to be a great catalyst for even more great roles in the future.
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Last Night in Soho is such a stylized movie. The red hues made for very cool, memorable visuals while the score is also terrific as is the sixties soundtrack that emphasized the greatness of that era’s music effectively. The directing from Edgar Wright was confident and this is his second best movie after ‘Scott Pilgrim’.
