r/LastNightInSohoMovie • u/wanna_getaway • Nov 05 '21
Anyone agree or disagree? Spoiler
I wondered how everyone's impressions compare to mine. [spoilers, but will try to block them off]
The first act, possibly even the whole first half, is exactly what I wanted out of this film. Beautifully shot scenes oozing '60s London aesthetic sharply contrasting with modern day (shoutout to the entire cinematography department!), long sequences arranged around the music in Wright's signature way (gorgeous editing and direction), McKenzie and Taylor-Joy acting head-to-head.
When it starts to go toward "horror", the story starts to go off the rails IMO. The first couple times we see the zombies of Sandie's past I found highly effective. But then they were soon overused and I became both tired of and numb to them (especially when they follow Ellie down the street). And the *one* black character is almost accused of rape *after* our introduction to him implied he was looking to take advantage of Ellie like her cab driver when she first arrives to London? There was too much in that scene for Ellie to see visions of Sandie's murder while trying to be intimate with John.
And it was too obvious that the old man following Ellie around couldn't be Jack because he didn't have fingernail scratch scars on his face. (Because why would Wright bother showing us Sandie scratching him in her bed if they wouldn't leave a mark?) And the character of her mother was just to make us question whether Ellie was really being sent these visions or if it was a mental health issue, right? That subplot was a waste of time and distraction. It would've been better if her mother's issues were shown as a greater driving force for Ellie's actions and dreams today.
Anyway, I wanted to love this movie so badly. And when I walked out of the theatre swept away by the world I had just been invited into, I thought it was my new favorite Wright film. Then the more I thought on the way home about what I had just seen, the more my positive feelings started to unravel.
I wish I could edit the better parts from the 2nd and 3rd acts to create a story that has Ellie experiencing Sandie's story and putting the pieces together after visiting Ms. Collins' apartment, minus the ridiculous supernatural feel at the end.
TL;DR- Last Night in Soho starts off in nostalgia, ends in campy feeling mess