BABY DRIVER (2017) - A better Fast and Furious
Baby Driver is an action comedy written and directed by Edgar Wright (of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World fame) and starring Ansel Elgort (of The Fault in Our Stars kind-of fame) as the lead character Baby. The movie follows his job as a getaway driver working for Doc (Kevin Spacey) and slowly tries to get out of his life of crime.
For those not familiar to Edgar Wright's work, he tends to focus more on style over story, which definitely shows in his works. Baby Driver is no different, and while its story isn't bland, it's quite generic and that's okay. What makes this movie so good is not what you're watching, but how much FUN you have while watching it. Every shot comes with a purpose and every scene is filmed so precisely that this movie--stylistically--becomes a work of art. And not the type of artsy film that makes no sense but pretentious people will claim was perfection, but the type of art that grabs you by the shoulders and flings you into its wonderfully weird world.
For those not familiar to Edgar Wright's work, he tends to focus more on style over story, which definitely shows in his works. Baby Driver is no different, and while its story isn't bland, it's quite generic and that's okay. What makes this movie so good is not what you're watching, but how much FUN you have while watching it. Every shot comes with a purpose and every scene is filmed so precisely that this movie--stylistically--becomes a work of art. And not the type of artsy film that makes no sense but pretentious people will claim was perfection, but the type of art that grabs you by the shoulders and flings you into its wonderfully weird world.
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| In a world where most movie posters comprise mostly of the main characters' heads/bodies, this simple, yet effective poster is quite beautiful. |
The Characters
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this movie is how great Ansel Elgort is as Baby. While he's delivered good performances before in the Divergent series and The Fault in Our Stars, he was almost uncharacteristically great in this movie despite having the fewest lines out of any of the main characters. Baby is quiet and taciturn, spending most of his time to himself and only really communicating with a handful of people. Despite his character's quiet nature and tendency to hide behind a pair of sunglasses and earphones, Elgort is able to add several nuanced touches that give Baby a charismatic charm that allows viewers to instantly like him and root for him.
Kevin Spacey is great as Baby's boss and criminal mastermind/kingpin Doc, who doesn't do very much in the movie but always manages to take command of every scene he's in by his mere presence alone. Other criminals under Doc's paycheck like Buddy, Darling, and especially Bats (played by Jamie Foxx) are also very charismatic in their own ways, adding much flavor to every heist to contrast with Baby's silent self.
Lily James also delivers a great performance as the central love interest, Debora. Her romance with Baby is sweet and highly believable, although she does make some life-altering decisions in the later half of the movie for Baby's sake that really do stretch your suspension of disbelief.
Kevin Spacey is great as Baby's boss and criminal mastermind/kingpin Doc, who doesn't do very much in the movie but always manages to take command of every scene he's in by his mere presence alone. Other criminals under Doc's paycheck like Buddy, Darling, and especially Bats (played by Jamie Foxx) are also very charismatic in their own ways, adding much flavor to every heist to contrast with Baby's silent self.
Lily James also delivers a great performance as the central love interest, Debora. Her romance with Baby is sweet and highly believable, although she does make some life-altering decisions in the later half of the movie for Baby's sake that really do stretch your suspension of disbelief.
Cinematography and Music
I decided not to talk about the story because, like I said before, Edgar Wright movies typically do not focus at all on telling a good story. Rather, it's how it's presented that makes his movies amazing to watch.
The very first scene gives you a great idea of what you're in for with a car chase scene that literally defines all future car chase scenes that I watch for now on. It is intense without feeling too dangerous, fantastical yet equally realistic. Imagine all the best chase scenes from the Fast and Furious franchise except it actually looks real and that's essentially what you get in this movie. Words cannot describe how awesome it is to see Baby behind the wheels except "you must watch it for yourself."
Nearly every other scene is just as finely crafted as the car chase scenes by expertly syncing every little action that the characters make with the music that Baby is listening to. There are more songs in this movie than the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and each song that plays has something to do with the scene. And it's an incredible feeling when you see every movement and every action play out to the beat of the song, to the point where you could even call the movie one giant music video. And one that you'd want to watch over and over again. And if that wasn't great enough, one scene near the beginning even goes to amazing lengths by having Baby walking down the street to get coffee, passing by some graffiti streets that--wouldn't you know it--are the lyrics to the song that he's listening to! There are many little Easter eggs that Wright puts in the movie like that that make the movie such a blast to see.
But chase scenes and music aren't the only things that make this movie amazing. There are several shots in here both from loud action scenes to small and quiet ones that are just gorgeous to look at, like you could freeze it and frame it on a wall. My personal favorite is a simple shot of Baby and Debora's feet tapping to the tune of a song they're listening to in a laundromat. Incredibly simple image on a very quiet scene that exudes beauty and art in the form of film.
The very first scene gives you a great idea of what you're in for with a car chase scene that literally defines all future car chase scenes that I watch for now on. It is intense without feeling too dangerous, fantastical yet equally realistic. Imagine all the best chase scenes from the Fast and Furious franchise except it actually looks real and that's essentially what you get in this movie. Words cannot describe how awesome it is to see Baby behind the wheels except "you must watch it for yourself."
Nearly every other scene is just as finely crafted as the car chase scenes by expertly syncing every little action that the characters make with the music that Baby is listening to. There are more songs in this movie than the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and each song that plays has something to do with the scene. And it's an incredible feeling when you see every movement and every action play out to the beat of the song, to the point where you could even call the movie one giant music video. And one that you'd want to watch over and over again. And if that wasn't great enough, one scene near the beginning even goes to amazing lengths by having Baby walking down the street to get coffee, passing by some graffiti streets that--wouldn't you know it--are the lyrics to the song that he's listening to! There are many little Easter eggs that Wright puts in the movie like that that make the movie such a blast to see.
But chase scenes and music aren't the only things that make this movie amazing. There are several shots in here both from loud action scenes to small and quiet ones that are just gorgeous to look at, like you could freeze it and frame it on a wall. My personal favorite is a simple shot of Baby and Debora's feet tapping to the tune of a song they're listening to in a laundromat. Incredibly simple image on a very quiet scene that exudes beauty and art in the form of film.
Final Verdict
If I haven't made it clear already, Baby Driver is a blast from start to finish. The story isn't anything new, but gives an interesting fantastical take on reality. What truly shines are the characters and the beautiful cinematography that make every frame look like a painting. This review is shorter than my normal ones just because I really can't say anything that will explain how great this movie is unless you go see it for yourself. The movie is hilarious, breath-taking, and an absolute joy all the way through. I highly recommend it to anyone.
Score: A
If I haven't made it clear already, Baby Driver is a blast from start to finish. The story isn't anything new, but gives an interesting fantastical take on reality. What truly shines are the characters and the beautiful cinematography that make every frame look like a painting. This review is shorter than my normal ones just because I really can't say anything that will explain how great this movie is unless you go see it for yourself. The movie is hilarious, breath-taking, and an absolute joy all the way through. I highly recommend it to anyone.
Score: A
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