‘Last Night in Soho’: An experience to remember, a script to forget
Arts Editor Jack Harris ’22 reviews the new Edgar Wright film “Last Night in Soho”.
The poster for “Last Night in Soho” as seen at FilmScene in Iowa City.
November 2, 2021
The new horror-thriller “Last Night in Soho” is one of many delayed films audiences have been anticipating for well over a year. With such a long period of buildup, the final product feels… decent? The film is a technical masterpiece, with director Edgar Wright utilizing his skills in sound mixing and film editing to create a vividly immersive horror experience. The script however is somewhat lacking, with the story following traditional cliches and predictable beats over and over again.
Writing
The plot of “Last Night in Soho” is held back by being entirely too predictable. While the concept is engaging, it is never experimented with, and all in all doesn’t work the best as a horror film. None of the “scary” moments receive a great deal of buildup, and therefore feel unearned and unsurprising when the payoff occurs. In fact, of all the major reveals and dramatic scenes that occur in “Last Night in Soho,” none feel earned; instead moments happen because the plot demands it, making the writing by far the weakest aspect of the movie.
Acting
Thomasin McKenzie should be commended for her effort as Eloise in “Last Night in Soho.” She plays the role of her whimsical fish-out-of-water character with ease, and does a fantastic job selling the horror of the movie. That being said, Anna Taylor-Joy absolutely steals the show as Sandy, to utterly no one’s surprise. The fashion-centered plot of the movie adds to Joy’s performance, as the dazzling outfits complement each actor’s style.
Music & Sound
One of the most outstanding uses of music in “Last Night in Soho” is the caravan of 60’s songs featured in the soundtrack. Although the soundtrack does shine, the major star of the movie is the sound mixing. Most of the horror throughout the film comes from the immersive atmosphere Wright creates through sound. Every acoustic detail is paid attention to, and it makes the film significantly scarier
Directing
For Wright’s first straightforward horror film, he did a rather commendable job. Most of this film is incredibly well put together, and from a technical standpoint the movie is outstanding. It seems that Wright was able to bring out the best in each of his crew members, it’s just unfortunate it had to be wasted on an uninspired script.
For any fans of horror or Edgar Wright, “Last Night in Soho” is worth seeing at least once, at least for the fun of it. But unfortunately, some outstanding technical performances are wasted on a weak script, making for an experience the average moviegoer could most likely do without.
