Baby Driver is the latest film from writer-director Edgar Wright, who has done films such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Shaun of the Dead (2004), and Hot Fuzz (2007).This was honestly my most anticipated movie of the year. While other people listed films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Wonder Woman as their big predictions for summer hits, Baby Driver topped mine, and for good reason.
I love Edgar Wright because he has a very distinct visual style, and it’s always evident. He tends to tell the story with what happens on screen and I really like that in a director. He managed to adapt a 6-volume graphic novel series into a movie that’s not even two hours long. So you’re damn right I went into this film pretty hyped. Was I disappointed? Not in the slightest. Baby Driver is one of the best films you’re going to see all year and a movie that lives up to the expectations.
Let’s talk a bit about the story. Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a getaway driver for Doc (Kevin Spacey), a kingpin who gathers gangs of criminals to do jobs for him. Baby has been working off a debt from Doc since he was young and is very close to completing it. He also meets a waitress named Debora (Lily James) who he begins a relationship with. However, Doc wants him to do one more job for him, one which will require two gangs to work together. As you can probably expect, not all goes according to plan.
I went in sort of knowing what the story was about, but the trailers all suggested the same thing, and if you’ve seen at least one, you have a general idea. The overall effect lasted on me. Not only is is a great action film with amazing story elements, but it’s smart as well. None of the characters make horror-movie decisions. So, I enjoyed that aspect of the film a lot.
The romance between Baby and Debora worked for me, surprisingly. I was actually invested in the development between the characters when they were together, and Debora has some great moments as well. If you think that you won’t enjoy this aspect, give it a chance.
The acting is great all around. Ansel Elgort was good and Kevin Spacey was (of course) really great. Lily James’ performance was consistently entertaining. The supporting cast (Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Jamie Foxx) were also pretty good. If I had to pick one character that stood out for me, it would have to be Doc. You don’t learn much about him, but he reveals glimpses of his past and turns out to be somebody you don’t think he is at the end of the movie.
The action sequences in this movie are just flat-out awesome. I really enjoyed every one of them, and not only do they provide the thrills necessary, they look very realistic. The stunts performed in this movie blew me away, and I loved it. So much.
Edgar Wright’s films tend to lean more to the comedy side, and while this one has comedy aspects, it’s a bit darker than his other films. However, there’s still a lot of hilarious moments in Baby Driver and I think if you come for the comedy, you won’t be let down.
Now, onto what you all have probably been waiting for: is the soundtrack any good? Hell yeah, it is. Starting off the first scene (a truly epic introduction) is the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion song “Bellbottoms” which carries the scene phenomenally. Just so you can get an idea of how the music is used in the film, the overall runtime of the soundtrack is very close to the movie, the soundtrack being only about ten minutes shorter.
THE VERDICT
If you enjoy action films, Edgar Wright films, or just a movie with a good story, please go see this. My only gripe is that some characters didn’t get as much development as I wanted, and that’s just my opinion. It isn’t a detriment to the film itself. Overall, the movie is a blast from start to finish and Edgar Wright knocks it out of the park once again. I’m going to give Baby Driver an A+.
Baby Driver stars Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Jamie Foxx. Directed by Edgar Wright.
