I apologize for my lack of updates. I've been dealing with personal matters, and I stalled for too long on writing a Wonder Woman review. Sorry about that. But Wonder Woman did well, so me singing its praises (it was really that great, and better than it could've been) would likely have not had any effect. So, I might do a film some may have heard of, but are on the fence on watching. I was excited for this film, because I was a big Edgar Wright fan. The Cornetto Trilogy is great (Hot Fuzz is my favorite comedy), and Scott Pilgrim vs the World is something of a modern classic, so I was excited to see him do more straight action. And it doesn't disappoint.
Baby (Ansel Elgort) is the getaway driver of a group of bank robber, including unstable Batts (Jamie Foxx) and Griff (Jon Bernthal), and lovers Jason (Jon Hamm) and Darling (Eiza Gonzalez), led by crime lord Doc (Kevin Spacey). After a childhood car accident which killed his parents, he has a constant drone in his ear, which he drowns out with a rather eclectic soundtrack. He lives with his deaf adoptive father Joseph (CJ Jones), and spends his time hiding the money and mixing various recordings he makes into jams. He is close to repaying a debt he owes to Doc, just one more job. However, he becomes close to Debora (Lily James), a waitress at a diner he frequents, with their shared love of music. He seems to have paid his debts to Doc, and tries to develop his relationship with Debora. However, it turns out that leaving his life of crime is a lot harder than it seems.
This is a film where the soundtrack is an integral part of the film. The movie sometimes syncs up to the music being played, with action scenes even matching up to various stops and beats. Given that the main character is constantly listening to music throughout the film, it helps bring the audience into the mindset of its lead hero, and how he seem to "hear" the world around him, and how he perceives it. I did appreciate that, as someone who occasionally tries to link up random sounds around me with songs I listen to. The songs are also very obscure. While known artists have their songs in there (Queen, the Beach Boys), they aren't those artists most popular songs, and the rest of the songs are much less well-known.. Speaking of the action, it is fantastic. While retaining some of his directorial trademarks (i.e, quick shots) in some scenes, Wright uses a different approach more akin to car chase films, which has longer shots and slower zooming to help visualize the chase. There are not just car chases either, but frequent action scenes using cars and on foot chase scenes. It makes for an engrossing watching experience, especially . The acting is good around the board. Ansel Elgort is a particular stand-out, his performance relying heavily on making up for his lack of dialogue with various physical tics or impromptu dancing or sign-language scenes with his adoptive father,. Jon Hamm gives a great performance, which would require spoiling to detail why. Oh, and even though it isn't a comedy, it actually does have some great laughs in it (the trailer kind of spoiled probably one of them)
These flaws are mostly nitpicks. I won't spoil what it is, but the impetus for the climax seemed underexplained. I could kind of see why it happened, based on what happened before, but I felt some explanation was needed. I felt the romance could've had some more scenes dedicated to it. It's not like it's sidelined or anything, and it is focused on enough to make the audience care, but I felt it could've been a little bit more developed.
This is one of the best films I've seen this year. Dynamic, fun, engrossing, it has all the best elements needed for a great film. If you're a fan of the director (or like any of his previous films), or just want a fun little movie to see, I would highly recommend this feature.
Baby (Ansel Elgort) is the getaway driver of a group of bank robber, including unstable Batts (Jamie Foxx) and Griff (Jon Bernthal), and lovers Jason (Jon Hamm) and Darling (Eiza Gonzalez), led by crime lord Doc (Kevin Spacey). After a childhood car accident which killed his parents, he has a constant drone in his ear, which he drowns out with a rather eclectic soundtrack. He lives with his deaf adoptive father Joseph (CJ Jones), and spends his time hiding the money and mixing various recordings he makes into jams. He is close to repaying a debt he owes to Doc, just one more job. However, he becomes close to Debora (Lily James), a waitress at a diner he frequents, with their shared love of music. He seems to have paid his debts to Doc, and tries to develop his relationship with Debora. However, it turns out that leaving his life of crime is a lot harder than it seems.
This is a film where the soundtrack is an integral part of the film. The movie sometimes syncs up to the music being played, with action scenes even matching up to various stops and beats. Given that the main character is constantly listening to music throughout the film, it helps bring the audience into the mindset of its lead hero, and how he seem to "hear" the world around him, and how he perceives it. I did appreciate that, as someone who occasionally tries to link up random sounds around me with songs I listen to. The songs are also very obscure. While known artists have their songs in there (Queen, the Beach Boys), they aren't those artists most popular songs, and the rest of the songs are much less well-known.. Speaking of the action, it is fantastic. While retaining some of his directorial trademarks (i.e, quick shots) in some scenes, Wright uses a different approach more akin to car chase films, which has longer shots and slower zooming to help visualize the chase. There are not just car chases either, but frequent action scenes using cars and on foot chase scenes. It makes for an engrossing watching experience, especially . The acting is good around the board. Ansel Elgort is a particular stand-out, his performance relying heavily on making up for his lack of dialogue with various physical tics or impromptu dancing or sign-language scenes with his adoptive father,. Jon Hamm gives a great performance, which would require spoiling to detail why. Oh, and even though it isn't a comedy, it actually does have some great laughs in it (the trailer kind of spoiled probably one of them)
These flaws are mostly nitpicks. I won't spoil what it is, but the impetus for the climax seemed underexplained. I could kind of see why it happened, based on what happened before, but I felt some explanation was needed. I felt the romance could've had some more scenes dedicated to it. It's not like it's sidelined or anything, and it is focused on enough to make the audience care, but I felt it could've been a little bit more developed.
This is one of the best films I've seen this year. Dynamic, fun, engrossing, it has all the best elements needed for a great film. If you're a fan of the director (or like any of his previous films), or just want a fun little movie to see, I would highly recommend this feature.
