Edgar Wright is a fan favorite director who has a unique style and vision with his films. His latest film, Last Night in Soho, is now streaming on HBO Max. I was unable to see it in theaters, so being able to watch it led me to do a ranking of Edgar Wright’s films (many of which I hadn’t seen before). The only film I’m not including is his directorial debut, A Fistful of Fingers, because I was unable to find it on any streaming service. Here’s my personal ranking of Edgar Wright’s films:
7. The Sparks Brothers
This isn’t a bad film at all; it’s actually a very clever documentary in terms of editing and creative storytelling. However, since I had no personal connection to Sparks, I didn’t get as much out of it as fans of the cult pop/rock duo. There are fun celebrity interviews throughout which kept my attention, but this documentary just wasn’t for me.
6. The World’s End
I really wanted to love this movie, but for me it’s the weakest of the Cornetto Trilogy. I think one of the biggest things that turned me off was Simon Pegg’s character. While Pegg’s previous Cornetto characters had redeeming qualities and character growth, Gary King doesn’t really change that much by the end. He still wants to live in his glory days for the rest of his life. The cast has great chemistry of course, but I just wasn’t satisfied with how this world ended (pun intended).
5. Shaun of the Dead
I honestly wasn’t expecting this film to be this high on the list. I’m not a zombie fan at all; I just don’t understand the appeal of them. That being said, this was probably the most enjoyable zombie film I’ve seen, which is mostly due to the great chemistry between Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. That kind of chemistry doesn’t happen all the time; the only other instances that come to mind are James Roday Rodriguez/Dulé Hill on Psych and Zach Braff/Donald Faison on Scrubs.
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4. Baby Driver
This is the most accessible of Edgar Wright’s films by far for a general audience. The way that music is incorporated into the DNA of the story and the character of Baby is brilliant, along with the editing with the car sequences. While two of the cast members have aged very poorly personally (Elgort and Spacey), they still give great performances along with the rest of the cast. It’s an action packed, musical, car adventure love story: what more can you ask for?
3. Hot Fuzz
This is without a doubt the best film in the Cornetto Trilogy and it’s not even close. Simon Pegg is amazing as the straight man Nicholas Angel to Nick Frost’s comedic PC Butterman. The rest of the cast is brilliant as well, the highlight being Timothy Dalton as the scene chewing Simon Skinner. The twist is both expected and unexpected, the action is great, and the humor is on point throughout. If you can only watch one film from the Cornetto Trilogy, this is the one to watch.
2. Last Night in Soho
I really wish I had gotten a chance to see this film in theaters because it is absolutely fantastic. Edgar Wright’s use of music as a character in the story is always brilliant, and Last Night in Soho is no exception! Thomasin Mckenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy are stars and give incredible performances throughout the film that are so connected to each other. Diana Rigg gives the perfect final performance of her career that is on par with her role in Game of Thrones. Plus, it was nice to see Matt Smith on screen in a great movie (sorry not sorry to Morbius)! If you have HBO Max, this is a must watch for sure.
1. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
This movie shouldn’t work, especially with its transmedia narrative. Edgar Wright makes it work brilliantly though and it remains his best film to date. Michael Cera plays an unconventional leading man as Scott Pilgrim trying to win the chance to date the lovely Ramona Flowers, played by the highly underrated Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The effects are fantastic, the cast is top notch (great characters for Chris Evans and Brie Larson), and the music brings it all together for a fun, colorful ride that still holds up twelve years later!
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