Review of Baby Driver (2017) by Dann M — 03 Apr 2018

Welcome to Wright's wet dream, this time without zombies!

BABY DRIVER.

Edgar Wright hits it right on the pedal again with the highly anticipated (but only now release in my county) Baby Driver. Although I would say that the trailers lacked some flare, the movie doesn't. Wright is often criticized for being style over substance but I wouldn't agree with it in the least. Scott Pilgrim blew me way and the cornetto trilogy will always stand as one of the best of the century. Wright, in essence is a filmmaker having fun and every decision that would seem tacky at first glance, works in the cohesive and outrageous world that he builds every time. Baby Driver doesn't forget the catching and fitting soundtrack nor the masturbatory iconography of outdated ways of being in contact with song like music stores or the old vinil. It also reminds you of the editing style that Wright is so known for and which inspired lifeless youtube videos, yet I would say it presents a deviation to the unfortunate in comparison to Pilgrim and while some escape sequences are incredible, others felt overcut to me. It really does surprise that I would be saying this about Wright as he's a director that usually makes every single cut count. But I wouldn't fathom ignoring the continuous shot during the opening titles as it is a technical feat of filmmaking. I also do think that, like what happens with every Wright film, the third act needs to be way more polished and I would advise that the homages should be done more midly. However, the film takes you in a high octane ride with characters that, although archetypical, are more fun to watch than every single person in a transformers movie. Also, I appreciate the film's dark undertones that balance out the simplicity with which it presents us a romance and the realist yet upbeat way it portrays an unescable life of crime. Ultimately, Baby Driver delivers every single thing it sets out to accomplish with a pollyannaish view of the world and a ryhtmical sense of humour. It will make you crank up the volume and enjoy a nostalgia from a time you weren't in, it will make you relish a song as a song and a cut as a helluva cut!