Review of Baby Driver (2017) by Maggie B — 10 Jan 2018

The trailers gave a little too much away, making the first couple heists feel less impactful than they might've if we went in blind. But once all the relationships are established and real tension is brought into play, "Baby Driver" becomes an incredibly exciting film.

Obviously the music is the main drawing point here, but it's used so well that it doesn't feel like just a gimmick. Editing tricks and corresponding in-world props and such make the soundtrack flow alongside everything we're seeing.

And while I stand by saying trailers lessened the impact of some of the earlier scenes, the action from thirty minutes in until the end feels fresh and it packs its punches insanely harshly. Some of these sequences are the best I've ever seen.

The overall story has a classic Hollywood heist vibe, but it manages to still feel new, through how it's put together and structured. The entire cast is great and Jamie Foxx gave what is possibly his best performance yet.

Also, I wouldn't have considered Ansel Elgort to be a likely action star, only knowing him from the few clips I've seen from "The Fault In Our Stars," but he was fantastic in the film, both during the action and also as a sympathetic and vulnerable protagonist.

"Baby Driver" is much more grounded than the films Edgar Wright wrote with Simon Pegg, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. I didn't laugh as much as I did during something like "The World's End," but the car chases and more realistic approach to reality were a welcome change-up, and the atmosphere is uniquely timeless.

I really look forward to giving it another watch.