Last Night in Soho Review: Eloise “Ellie” Turner (Thomasin McKenzie), the wide-eyed protagonist at the center of director Edgar Wright's gorgeous but conceptually lifeless horror/comedy “Last Night in Soho,” aspires to be a fashion designer.
Ellie's mother, on the other hand, had a similar goal to work as a designer.
Her mother relocated to London before committing suicide. Ellie can now recognize herself in every mirror.
Ellie, like her mother, adores the clothes and music of the 1960s and decides to attend fashion school in London.
Her adoring grandmother (a poignant Rita Tushingham) is concerned for her safety: she can perceive and feel emotions that others do not; she has a deep psychic relationship with her surroundings.
Ellie decides to go out on her own after receiving a chilly reception from her college friends, who tease her for wearing clothes she made and for her lowly country origins in Cornwall.
Ms. Collins, a severe but ostensibly loving woman, lends her a historic apartment (Diana Rigg, in her final film role).
It's a fantastic set-up for Ellie until she starts to fantasize about being Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy), a swinging young blond woman who lived in London in 1966.
Ellie's fantasies turn into nightmares as the lines between truth and fiction blur.
Related:‘Nightmare Alley’ Review: Is ‘Crime Thriller’ Available to Watch On ‘Netflix’?
Wright's “Last Night in Soho,” co-written with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”), is comic and chaotic, slick and sophisticated, then breaks apart in the second half.
Last Night in Soho Cast
- Anya Taylor-Joy
- Thomasin McKenzie
- Matt Smith
- Diana Rigg
- Sam Claflin
- Margaret Nolan
- Terence Stamp
- Synnove Karlsen
The premise for “Last Night in Soho” is equally intriguing.
She must avoid lustful aspects as a country girl now residing in the big metropolis.
For example, during a skin-crawling cab journey, the driver begins to comment on her legs and inquires if she has any other models living with her.
Wright intends for this picture to be a condemnation of filthy, toxic guys as well as a warning against mindless nostalgia.
This primary hook alluded to the latter subject, implying that when Ellie sleeps, she not only sees Sandy but also transforms into Sandy.
Sandy enters a hip, gorgeous 1960s club, descending a set of stairs, and passing through a wall of mirrors, thanks to in-camera effects and staging.
Sandy is on one side of the mirrors. Ellie, on the other hand. The two personalities, on the other hand, are opposed.
Related: Orange Is the New Black Season 8 Review: What Were the Show’s Biggest Blunders?
Sandy, unlike the meek Ellie, struts around like a runway model. She has a clear idea of what she wants. She also believes she knows how to acquire it.
Last Night in Soho Trailer
Watch Trailer Here
The film's villain is where Wright's film begins to falter.
See, Sandy is watched over by Jack (Matt Smith), a pompadoured, pinstripe-wearing agent who represents all the ladies.
Sandy has no idea that Jack is a pimp. And he plays on her desire for recognition by promising her the benefits of propositioning herself to advance her profession.
Ellie begins to dread him, but the viewer does not.
It's a stretch to claim that Jack's concept wouldn't create a vile villain.
Related: Fantastic Beasts the Secrets of Dumbledore Review: Is This Movie Worth Watching?
But Wright doesn't go far enough with that character to make him more than a boogeyman.
Last Night in Soho Plot
In Edgar Wright's psychological thriller, Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer, is inexplicably transported to the 1960s, where she meets Sandie, a stunning want tobe singer.
- However, the glitz isn't all it seems, as old dreams begin to crack and split into something far darker.
- Wright built a name for himself with the zombie comedy “Shaun of the Dead,” so it's hardly surprising that he'd use the same formula here.
- A swarm of macabre apparitions materializes to attack Ellie among beautiful, surreal kaleidoscopic reflections.
- Due to their indistinguishability and the frequency with which Wright employs them, these ghosts generate minimal frights.
- If Ellie and Sandy were more related than having the same address in separate decades, the ever-shrinking borders between them may be exciting.
- In addition, “Last Night in Soho” suffers from a typical colorblind casting error.
- To induce a scare in one scene, the film's lone Black character (Michael Ajao) dresses up for Halloween only to have his night end in a near-rape accusation by a white woman; this sequence is accidentally the scariest in the picture.
- It's tough to go into detail about the scene without giving too much away, but filmmakers must realize that simply casting a Black actor isn't enough, especially given the racial background of the setting.
After that, the Black character continues to try to help the white person who nearly murdered him, a decision that is considerably more improbable than any ghouls.
Last Night in Soho Where to Watch?
The thriller Last Night in Soho, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin McKenzie, and Matt Smith, is now available to stream.
On your Roku device, watch it on ROW8, Prime Video, Apple TV, Redbox, VUDU, or Vudu Movie & TV Store.
