Last Night in Soho – Flashy & Stylish
Director: Edgar Wright
Writer: Edgar Wright, Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Screenplay)
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp, Michael Ajao
Plot: An aspiring fashion designer is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer. But the glamour is not all it appears to be and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something darker.
Tagline – A Murder in the Past. A Mystery in the Future.
Runtime: 1 Hour 56 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Last Night in Soho starts when small town young woman Eloise (McKenzie) gets to travel to London to study fashion like her late mother and grandmother once did. Once in London Eloise finds the university life difficult forcing her to move out of the student housing, renting a room in Soho.
Eloise finds herself falling asleep and transported back into the 1960s, in following the life of beautiful young woman Sandie (Taylor-Joy) as she looks to make an impact in showbusiness, only for things to take a dark turn, as Eloise must figure out what happened in the 1960s.
Thoughts on Last Night in Soho
Characters & Performances – Eloise is the young student who is leaving her small village to head to London to study fashion, she has had a difficult life with her parent’s death and her grandmother raising her, but always pushing her to follow her dream. Ellie is a complete fish out of water in the London and the student housing, not prepared for the parties and lacking the social skills for the wild parties. She decides to move out and find her own little place for peace and quiet for studying, but finds her transported to the 1960s, following the life of a beautiful woman navigating that world, getting caught up in what happened to her, leaving her questioning her own sanity as the worlds start to collide. Thomasin McKenzie is brilliant in this role, her ability to bring the innocent side to her character to life in this hectic world is a joy to watch. Sandie is the beautiful young woman wanting to make an impact in the entertaining business in the 1960s, she turns heads when she walks into any room, has an amazing voice and is driven to achieve her dreams. She however falls into the trap many women did in that era, where she is pushed into looking after certain men, which will drive the fear that Eloise is going through in this world. Anya Taylor-Joy is brilliant, being the opposite to Thomasin with the confidence to walk into any room, almost being everything Thomasin wants. When it comes to the supporting cast, we have Jack, who becomes Sandie’s manager in this 1960s, pushing her into the world she isn’t prepared for. Matt Smith does bring this sleezy figure to life her, being the typical 60s lady’s man. John is a fellow student that hasn’t seemed to fit in and seems to be the only genuine person at this university, offering friendship to Ellie, which nobody else her age offers her. Michael Ajao gives one of the best supporting performances of the year, bringing us the laughs needed, while being an honest person in a chaotic world. With the crime happening, we get suspects that Eloise looks to look into in the modern world, along with the selfish fellow students who look down on Eloise’s small town up bringing. The whole film is performed very well, with everyone getting their chance to shine.
Story – The story here follows a young student struggling with life in London and university, which will see her find her own place, leading her to transport herself into the 1960s, thrown into a bigger mystery about another woman’s life. This is a story that will see the human struggles of moving to a big town from a small town, showing the adapting difficulties she is facing, while chasing her dreams. The other side of the story comes down to the mystery about what happened in the 1960s, which starts as a dream turning into a nightmare for Eloise which will see the question of reality put into the story for Eloise. This is a story that will keep you guessing along the way, as we wait to see where things could end up going.
Themes – Last Night in Soho is a stylish horror thriller that will use sci-fi elements to create the different time worlds we are entertaining, with the London location showing just how maniac London can be, from the 1960s world, to the modern one. This is a film that uses the two time periods to show us the different worlds, how things have changed, but will have the same problems in. when it comes to the horror, it will have large moments that could be seen as nightmare fuel, with the figures haunting Eloise, while the everyday horrors could be just as scary.
Final Thoughts – Last Night in Soho is a stylish horror that is a showcase to the 60s with plenty of mystery.