96% on Rotten Tomatoes
Chloe's thoughts: Signed, sealed, and recommended by Chloe;
Watch it in cinemas;
I'm buying the DVD (maybe)
Watch it if you: Are a fan of other Edgar Wright movies;
Want some cool chase scenes in a fast-paced and fun heist movie;
Are a fan of any of the actors in this film;
Are keen to see what an action musical film would be like
In this latest film by Edgar Wright, Baby is a talented getaway driver doing dodgy business for a crime boss, driving to the beat of his own personal playlist. He longs for the day that he can break free from these jobs and start a new life with a clean slate.
I was super keen for this movie since the trailer looked amazing, and the cast and director looked solid, and it didn't disappoint! It was such a solid movie, and will be one of the best of the year.
The amazing thing about this film is it's directing. The plot itself isn't anything special, since it's a pretty typical heist movie where the heist driver is doing this not because he wants to, but because of some other suspicious reason. He wants to do one last job before leaving this life of crime, but something happens that hinders his plans. Also, there's a girl he's fallen in love with.
There's also a few plot
So yeah, the film's plot isn't particularly original, but the way it was directed and edited made it a great and original film.
Baby's character is an interesting one where he needs to listen to his music to be able to concentrate or do his job properly, and the whole film reflects this. The opening sequence is a car chase where every edit, and every movement is matched to the beat of the song. Then there's a long tracking shot where Baby dances to the music he's listening to, and it's a fun moment. In other scenes you have every part of the film revolve around the beat of the music, be it the dialogue, body movements, gun shots, car door slams, things like that. It's almost like this film is a musical, but not your typical fairytale-burst-out-into-song type of musical. Instead, it's like an action musical.
This must have been so difficult to film, particularly in the long takes since everyone's body movements needed to hit the beat of the songs, and it would also have been such a task to edit. But Edgar Wright does similar cool editing nuggets in his other films too, like Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007), so this shouldn't come as a surprise.
This whole theme of the beat of the music made the action sequences and chase scenes really great, and the soundtrack itself was really fun.
As to the acting, Ansel Elgort stars in this film, and I was a bit worried about him because for some reason I just don't really like him as an actor. He was good at being the actual character, but there is just something weird and off about his face or his body movements. This might just be my own personal bias though, because I wasn't a huge fan of him after The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and Divergent (2014). He's much better in this film, but there's still something weird and awkward about him, for example when he's dancing or lip-syncing to songs and mucking about; it's kind of funny, but at the same time if it were someone else's face, I'd feel a lot more comfortable.
On the other hand, I really liked Lily James, who starred in Cinderella (2015). She has a really nice girl-next-door personality and vibe in this film, her accent was great, and I really enjoyed her scenes.
Jon Hamm was also really great and I think he outshined Jamie Foxx by a mile. Quite a few movie reviewers are praising Jamie Foxx but I really didn't see anything special in him being cast; I reckon he could have been replaced with another actor and I wouldn't have batted an eye. Jon Hamm, though, was really a standout.
Kevin Spacey was good too, but I feel like someone needs to talk to his tailor. He seemed really awkward, as if he was sinking into his jacket? Like his face looked normal but the rest of his body seemed really fat. This is such a minor thing but it was seriously very distracting. Apart from that, though, his lines are all fantastic and he delivers some of the best and funniest lines of the movie, despite his character being completely serious and dramatic.
In conclusion, this is probably going to be one of the best films of the year. The way it uses music as the blood and backbone of the film is really unique and makes for a great original film. The soundtrack, and all the acting and action choreography that complements the soundtrack, are great, and the movie is a fun and enjoyable ride.
A few odd plot points (Click to show/hide spoilers):
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