Director: Edgar Wright
Distributor: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Duration: 116 minutes
Last Night in Soho (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
It’s been a while since we saw a truly original movie come out. Reboots, remakes, and sequels seem to be the current trend when looking at big blockbuster releases, and truth be told, we have grown quite tired of them. When we first saw the trailer of Last Night in Soho we were quite intrigued with the outer-body time-traveling experience. Now, with its physical release, we were able to see if this movie provides a fresh experience in a market filled with bland remakes.
The movie follows young Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), who moves to London to pursue her studies in fashion design. It’s clear that Eloise has a certain ‘gift’ as she sometimes still sees her dead mother. Her grandmother (Rita Tushingham) is quite concerned that London will be a bit too much for her, especially considering she’s so sensitive. When Eloise doesn’t feel comfortable in her student housing, she decides to look for her own place and ends up in the loft of an old house. While this seems like a good turn of events, things get rather bizarre whenever Eloise falls asleep. Upon falling asleep, she finds herself being transported back to the 60s, reliving the life of Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), another young woman who is aspiring to become a performer in the most prestigious club(s) London has to offer. Sadly for Sandie, she soon finds herself being used and abused by those who swore to help her.
Last Night in Soho starts off a bit slow to fully paint a picture of who Eloise is, but it then kicks into full gear by going back and forth between the present and the 60s. The movie gives you more than enough information to understand what is going on while leaving enough open for your own interpretation. The only item that should have been explained a bit better is Eloise’s ‘gift’ that gets mentioned several times during the movie. Other than that, the movie balances action, information and world-building perfectly, driving you to the edge of your seat from start to finish.
Even though we see a few acting veterans pass the revue in this film, the entire experience is still carried by the two leading ladies: Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy. The onscreen chemistry is off the charts, as both actresses had to constantly work together to mirror certain movements or even mimic certain behavioral patterns. McKenzie plays the naive Eloise perfectly, and there’s a proper evolution of her character throughout the film. Anya’s character, on the other hand, we see spiraling downwards going from an enthusiastic and proud young woman to someone who’s very sick of living. Of course, credit should be given where credit is due, and we have to say that all supporting roles in this movie were handled splendidly.
The Blu-ray edition of Last Night in Soho comes with many special features. All of these features explore the creative process of the movie or delve deeper into the personas of the main characters. Other than that, you’ll get a music video and additional commentaries. You’ll get roughly an additional hour of content if you go through all of the extras, which is certainly a plus when you’re buying a physical copy of the movie.
Conclusion
Last Night in Soho was an amazing film to watch in a landscape that is filled with remakes, reboots, and sequels of old movies. We love the overall concept of the film and the atmosphere was spot on. The two leading ladies also brought the movie to life perfectly, and by the time the credits started rolling, we were sad the experience was already over. We would love to see more movies such as this, as it’s refreshing to see a new and original idea being fleshed out like this.
Last Night in Soho (Blu-ray) - Movie Review,
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