Last Night in Soho - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Last Night in Soho



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
As a huge fan of Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver, Hot Fuzz) I was intrigued when I heard he was going to be making a horror/thriller in the form of Last Night in Soho. Now, while I agree that Shaun of the Dead has some horror elements, it’s much more a comedy love letter to the horror sub genre, rather than an ACTUAL serious horror movie, which is where this comes in.

I had literally not even seen the trailer when I read about the film, and made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t actually see ANYTHING (good or bad) about the film until I had the disc in my hand to review, and I’m glad I did. Last Night in Soho is a strange supernatural film that borders right on the verge of supernatural thriller, and actual horror. Infused with Edgar Wright’s trademark stylistic wimsy and a fascinating time jump between the late 1960s and today, it marks one of the few actual GOOD #MeToo films in recent times (Promising Young Woman being the only other one in recent years that actually nailed it).

The story revolves around young Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) who has just been accepted to fashion school in London. The film hints that Eloise just MIGHT have supernatural abilities to see things (in a way), but that seems to get sidelined as Eloise tries to make herself comfortable in modern London. However, the stresses of school along with the incessant partying of her peers causes the shy young woman to seek shelter somewhere else. Finding a little attic to stay at an elderly woman’s house, Eloise begins to blossom at school and actually craft some incredible dresses along the way. However, Eloise’s success also comes at the price of a little secret. Ever since she started staying in the little attic, Eloise’s dreams become a near reality, shifting her back in time to the late 1960s where she views life through the eyes of another young woman who is trying to make it big in London. A woman named Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy) who wants to sing and be on stage and inspires Eloise’s creativity.
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Remember how I mentioned that Eloise was hinted at having supernatural powers at the beginning of the movie (the mirror seen teases it pretty heavily)? Well, as the nights go on Eloise views what really happens to Sandy. A woman who dreamed of making it big, but then was turned into a prostitute by her “manager” Jack (Matt Smith). To make matters worse, Ellie can start to see the specters of the men who abused Sandy stalking her. Soon the young student’s psyche starts to crack and the only way out of this half living hell is to find out what exactly happened to poor sandy some 60 years ago. And god help her if she can’t find a way to end this madness.

Edgar Wright is a clever story teller, but he also dabbles very heavily in being BLUNT about his misdirects. You can see some of the switches and double backs on secrets as the story progresses (Sandy’s identity later on was telegraphed VERY heavily), but it’s almost like it’s on purpose. Wright is leading you through the story, letting the adventure lie in the journey rather than making you guess and double guess again. Plot points unfold in such a startlingly direct manner that I started to wonder if Wright was slipping in his narrative. But it’s that final ending where he reveals the true nature of Ellie and Sandy’s story. It’s not shocking you with WHO Sandy was, and WHAT happened to her 60 years ago. It’s an unveiling and peeling back of layers and layers of pain to explain WHY. A story of agony, of abuse, and revenge that ended up with the same actual ending. Utter destruction and the hopelessness of lost hope.

Last Night in Soho is not a perfect movie, as some of the bluntness took away bits of the horror of the film. But it is still quite a good film and proves that Edgar Wright isn’t stuck in JUST comedy and British parodies as his claim to fame. After watching the movie twice I really get the impression that this was more of a delving into pain and suffering for Wright rather than trying to truly horrify the audience with blood and guts. While there is a small bit of blood and nastiness, the real horror comes from the realization of what happened, and the loss of a single person. It’s fascinating, painful, and genuinely a unique horror/thriller in a world that has been saturated with gore.




Rated R for bloody violence, sexual content, language, brief drug material and brief graphic nudity




4K Video: Video:

Last Night in Soho offers a moderate upgrade over the good 1080p Blu-ray due to the fact that his is a heavily stylized film that changes detail levels and look depending on what point in time Ellie is in. Modern day London shots are much brighter and sharper, with crisp clarity and great color replication. It’s a bit dulled sometimes due to the brown mahogany of a room, or the gritty white of a college dorm room. However, when it shifts back to the 1960s things change dramatically. There is a ton of pink and vivid night club colors, but also a sort of hazy and gauzy softness to the film that really accentuates the dream like nature of that portion. Colors tend to be more vibrant and richer, but also more unnatural and “fake” if you will. Pinks and honey dominate those bits, but still, no matter the time period the use of blacks and shadows are impeccable. There’s not a massive uptick in clarity as a result, but otherwise a good looking 4K UHD transfer even compared to the solid Blu-ray.







Audio:

The highest rated part of the entire package is easily the audio mix. The Dolby Atmos track is soft and demure when needed, but during the more intense moments in the film it really really is exquisite. The night club scenes during Sandy’s portions are loud and aggressive, with plenty of surround activity with the hustle and bustle of the crowded clubs. The screaming ghosts and intense dramatic music in the “real” world is jaw dropping, with great bass, tons of really deft directional shifts, and very solid dialog. My ONLY complaint stems from the fact that I noticed the surrounds and score could drown out the dialog just a tad as Ellie’s voice is incredibly soft and delicate compared to the intensity of the surrounds and background activity. Great mix though.







Extras:

• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• MAKING OF FEATURETTES
-- MEET ELOISE – An in-depth look at the character of Eloise and the challenges that star Thomasin McKenzie faced while bringing her to life.
-- DREAMING OF SANDIE – A closer look at the characters of Sandie and Jack and why Anya Taylor-Joy and Matt Smith were the perfect actors to embody the essence of the time period.
-- SMOKE AND MIRRORS – The cast and crew break down how lighting, makeup, special effects, and creative camerawork came together to create a collision between the present day and 1960's time periods.
-- ON THE STREETS OF SOHO – The cast and crew discuss the importance of shooting on location in Soho and the complexity of transforming the city streets back in time.
-- TIME TRAVELLING – A look into how the music, costume design, and production design of the film work together to immerse the audience into the world of 1960's Soho.
• DELETED SCENES
• ANIMATICS
-- FIRST DREAM
-- SHADOW MEN
-- MURDER
-- FINAL CONFRONTATION
• EXTRAS
-- HAIR & MAKEUP TESTS
-- LIGHTING & VFX TESTS
-- WIDE ANGLE WITNESS CAM
-- ACTON TOWN HALL STEADICAM REHEARSAL
• "DOWNTOWN" MUSIC VIDEO
• TRAILERS
• FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR/CO-WRITER EDGAR WRIGHT, EDITOR PAUL MACHLISS AND COMPOSER STEVE PRICE
• FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR/CO-WRITER EDGAR WRIGHT AND CO-WRITER KRISTY WILSON-CAIRNS

Final Score:
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Last Night in Soho surprised me in a very good way. I love Edgar Wright, but I was completely unprepared for the style of horror/thriller that he created for us. While I won’t put the movie on par with some of his earlier works, the creepy supernatural #MeToo film is subtle, blatant, and genuinely unique in the world of supernatural films. It’s excellently directed, and even more excellently filmed (cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung has some incredible of the camera in the film, and it really makes the film feel incredibly fresh) and just as excellently acted. Outside of some misgivings on how the film could be a bit TOO blunt, I really enjoyed everything about it. The video’s good, the film’s good, and the audio is superb. To put the cherry on the top is a VERY hefty array of extras to make this a very solid watch by anyone’s standards.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Thomas McKenzie, Anya Taylor Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, Rita Tushingham
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Written by: Edgar Wright, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), Spanish DD+ 7.1, French DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: R
Runtime: 116 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 18th, 2022

Recommendation: Very Good Watch

 

[Todd Anderson]

I have this one in queue to watch... looking forward to it!