Eric Muller">
Psycho Drive-In logo
Search
  • PDI Press
    Featured
    • Q Clearance

      Eric Muller
      March 4, 2021
      Fiction, PDI Press Writers
    Recent
    • Q Clearance

      Mike Burr
      March 4, 2021
    • ON SALE NOW! NOIRLATHOTEP 2: MORE TALES OF LOVECRAFTIAN CRIME!!

      psychodr
      December 31, 2018
    • VOICES FROM THE NIGHT: The Living Dead Tell Their Stories

      John E. Meredith
      October 31, 2018
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    Featured
    • Chaos Walking (2021)

      Eric Muller
      April 13, 2021
      Movies, Reviews
    Recent
    • Chaos Walking (2021)

      Nate Zoebl
      April 13, 2021
    • Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

      Paul Brian McCoy
      April 2, 2021
    • Zack Snyder’s Justice League: A Review, Comparison, and Breakdown

      Paul Brian McCoy
      March 24, 2021
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
    Featured
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      Eric Muller
      July 13, 2018
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      The Final Girl
      July 13, 2018
    • David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

      Dan Lee
      March 7, 2017
    • Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

      Andre Lamar
      September 29, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

      Jason Sacks
      July 28, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

      Dave Hearn, Paul Brian McCoy
      July 27, 2016
    • Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

      Gary Richardson, Laura Akers
      April 16, 2016
  • News
    Featured
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      Eric Muller
      July 30, 2019
      DVD/Blu-ray, News
    Recent
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      psychodr
      July 30, 2019
    • X-Men: Dark Phoenix arrives on Digital 9/3 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD 9/17

      Paul Brian McCoy
      July 16, 2019
    • Avengers: Endgame arrives on Digital 7/30 and Blu-ray 8/13

      psychodr
      July 16, 2019
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Breaking
  • Chaos Walking (2021)
  • Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
  • Zack Snyder’s Justice League: A Review, Comparison, and Breakdown
  • Psycho Goreman (2021)
  • Advance Review: Bad Girls (2021)
  • Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Home
Movies

Advance Review: Baby Driver (2017)

Eric Muller
June 19, 2017
Movies, Reviews

Throughout his career, Edgar Wright has always had a partner in crime. He teamed up with Simon Pegg for the Cornetto Trilogy and he had Michael Bacall help him with the script for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. But Baby Driver marks the first time that Wright is the sole creative force behind a movie, and let me tell you, it is well worth the wait.

baby-driver-01

Baby Driver follows the main character named Baby (Ansel Elgort), the best getaway driver in Atlanta. Thanks to a childhood accident, Baby has tinnitus in his ears and must listen to music to drown out the ringing in his ears. After meeting the girl of his dreams, played by Lily James, Baby needs to makes a choice. Does he stick with the life he knows or keep driving and never look back?

First, a tip of my hat to Edgar Wright, who did a fantastic job with this film. The Wright style of quick cuts works so well in this setting, showing every step in a heist or letting you feel the intensity of a chase sequence. Wright sets up a film centered on just three heists, each one corresponding to an act in the film. With each heist, he shows the character development for Baby and you can see his growth by the tone changing for each heist.  Wright was smart not to lean too much on exposition, instead dropping the audience right into the middle of this world and slowly letting us discover who Baby is and the world he belongs to.

baby-driver-02

In between all the cuts, action, and humor, the movie has a soundtrack playing pretty much throughout the entire film. And in an odd way, Edgar Wright made Baby Driver a musical. No, there isn’t a scene where Jon Hamm and Kevin Spacey have a duet or anything like that, but there are elements of a musical in this film. For example, after the first heist Baby goes to get coffee. You are not watching Baby just do this mundane thing, as Edgar Wright set up a tracking shot and choreography to the song that Baby is listening to, making it feel like it is out of a musical. It is the most stylish way you will ever see someone grab a coffee order. Make sure you pay attention to the background during this sequence as there are some cool Easter Eggs. It is moments and scenes like this, where it is not dialogue or actions but the music that is giving the story direction that makes Baby Driver feel like a musical at times. Take a note, Damien Chazelle.

Besides being a treat for your eyes and ears, Baby Driver is also carried by a fantastic cast that has Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey, Eiza González, and Jamie Foxx. Kevin Spacey plays Doc, the mysterious crime boss and the rest of the actors play different criminals brought in to help with the heists. A lot of the cast should be applauded for their performances. I particularly loved Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm in this movie. I loved that you think their characters are one-note but they have great depth and make choices that you don’t see coming.

baby-driver-03

The only weakness to Baby Driver is Lily James’ character, Debora. Lily does a good job acting but her character really is not that essential for the movie or Baby’s growth. Sure, she is his dream girl, but Baby would have come to the same conclusions without her. I also get that Debora is supposed represent the life that Baby wants, but Baby has a better and more meaningful source for that in Baby’s foster father played by CJ Jones. Sadly, the weakest storyline in Baby Driver is the romance between Baby and Debora, the actors are fine but it is not a convincing on-screen romance and this romance leads Debora to make some choices that no rational person would make.

Baby Driver has all the action and suspense of Heat and has all the fun and driving of Smokey And the Bandit. Edgar Wright somehow made a musical driven by music from an iPod and filled with great choreography where the main dancer is a car. After seeing this movie you’ll leave the theater wanting to drive fast while listening to your own killer soundtrack.

(Visited 97 times, 1 visits today)

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Ansel ElgortBaby DriverCJ JonesEdgar WrightEiza GonzalezEric MullerJamie FoxxJon BernthalJon HammKevin SpaceyLily James

American Gods 1.06 “A Murder of Gods” & 1.07 “Prayer for Mad Sweeney”
Comet TV ALIEN ATTACK MOVIE MARATHON Giveaway!!

About The Author

monsterid
Eric Muller

Eric Muller is the co-host of the Ramble On About Movies podcast and is part of the award-winning film group, Edwin J Hill.

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK

Daily Top Ten

  • The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • Sick Flix: Cannibal Holocaust (1980)Sick Flix: Cannibal Holocaust (1980) by Corin Totin
  • Advance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-rayAdvance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-ray by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Video Word Made Flesh 01: Shivers (1975)Video Word Made Flesh 01: Shivers (1975) by Marsha Nicholson
  • Spectre (2015)Spectre (2015) by Jose San Mateo
  • Muppets 101: Dog City - The Movie (1989)Muppets 101: Dog City – The Movie (1989) by Jessica Sowards
  • Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting ChristiansHoly Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians by Daniel Elkin
  • Lost in Translation 138: Watership DownLost in Translation 138: Watership Down by Scott Delahunt
  • Psycho 7 Greatest Star Wars Knock-OffsPsycho 7 Greatest Star Wars Knock-Offs by Psychodr
  • Top Ten MCU Supporting PlayersTop Ten MCU Supporting Players by Rick Shingler

PDI Press Bestsellers

Entertainment Earth

Weekly Top Ten

  • All Superheroes Must Die 2: The Last Superhero (2016)All Superheroes Must Die 2: The Last Superhero (2016) by Fred L. Taulbee Jr.
  • The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • Sick Flix: Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)Sick Flix: Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) by Corin Totin
  • Sick Flix: Cannibal Holocaust (1980)Sick Flix: Cannibal Holocaust (1980) by Corin Totin
  • Page to Screen: The Boys Season OnePage to Screen: The Boys Season One by Paul Brian McCoy
  • If It Ain't Funk He Don't Feel It: Howard the Duck (1986)If It Ain’t Funk He Don’t Feel It:… by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Chaos Walking (2021)Chaos Walking (2021) by Nate Zoebl
  • Advance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-rayAdvance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-ray by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • All the Devils are Here (2017)All the Devils are Here (2017) by Paul Brian McCoy
Entertainment Earth

Latest Reviews

  • Chaos Walking (2021)

    Nate Zoebl
    April 13, 2021
  • Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

    Paul Brian McCoy
    April 2, 2021
  • Zack Snyder’s Justice League: A Review, Comparison, and Breakdown

    Paul Brian McCoy
    March 24, 2021

Latest Columns

  • Lost in Translation 377: Pacific Rim – The Black

    Scott Delahunt
    April 16, 2021
  • Anything Joes: S01E15 – G.I. Joe #5 / Tanks For The Memories

    Greg Engle
    April 15, 2021
  • Anything Joes: UNBOXING: G.I. Joe Classified Flint and Lady Jaye

    Greg Engle
    April 12, 2021

INSTAGRAM

psychodrivein

Today at http://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transla Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 377: Pacific Rim - The Black

Pacific Rim: The Black expands the setting, showing more of the world introduced in Pacific Rim and the effects of the kaiju invasion on people.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #PacificRim #TheBlack #PacificRimTheBlack #Kaiju
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Greg and Jaren Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Greg and Jaren take a look at the MOBAT's big day out as it strolls through a parade and tries to survive a Cobra ambush!
---
Check out Greg and Jaren's video at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes #GIJoe #ARealAmericanHero #MarvelComics #Mobat @anythingjoespod
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Chaos Walking ( Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Chaos Walking (2021)

Chaos Walking has been shrouded under the ominous reputation of “troubled production” from its very inception.
---
Read more of Nate's review at the link in our profile!

#ChaosWalking #DaisyRidley #TomHolland #MadsMikkelsen #DougLiman #FedeAlvarez #DavidOyelowo #PatrickNess
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: UNBOXING: G.I. Joe Classified Flint and Lady Jaye

Jaren takes a look at the newest Classified figures to hit shelves: Flint and Lady Jaye!
---
Watch Jaren's video at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes @AnythingJoesPod #GIJoe #GIJoeClassified #LadyJaye #Flint #Unboxing
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Beautiful Creat Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Beautiful Creatures: Night of the Lepus (1972)

Night of the Lepus is genuinely a science-fiction/horror in name only.
---
Read more of Dan's article at the link in our profile!

#BeautifulCreatures #NightOfTheLepus #JanetLeigh #RoryCalhoun #DeForestKelley
Today at http://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2021 Day 9 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2021 Day 9: Blood Quantum (2019)

Blood Quantum satisfies all my zombie film cravings and is one of the strongest genre entries in years.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2021 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #Zombies #BloodQuantum #JeffBarnaby #BrandonOakes #ElleMaijaTailfeathers #ForrestGoodluck #GaryFarmer #KiowaGordon #MichaelGreyeyes #StonehorseLoneGoeman
Today at http://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2021 Day 8 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2021 Day 8.2: [Rec] 4: Apocalypse (2014)

Anyway, [Rec] 4: Apocalypse is a perfectly fine zombie movie set on a boat.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2021 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #Zombies #Rec4Apocalypse #IsmaelFritschi #HectorColome #PacoManzanedo #ManuelaVelasco #JaumeBelaguero #ManuDiaz
Today at http://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2021 Day 8 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2021 Day 8.1: [Rec] 3: Genesis (2012)

Granted, [Rec] 3: Genesis doesn’t really break new ground, but it is solid at what it does.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2021 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #Zombies #Rec3Genesis #PacoPlaza  #DiegoMartin #LeticiaDolera
Today at http://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2021 Day 7 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2021 Day 7.2: [Rec]2 (2009)

[Rec] 2 opens with the final shot of the previous film before shifting our focus to a new set of cameras.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2021 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #Zombies #Rec2 #ManuelaVelasco #JonathanDMellor #JaumeBalaguero #PacoPlaza #ManuDiaz
Today at http://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2021 Day 7 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2021 Day 7.1: [Rec] (2007)

[Rec] is a film that puts people in peril and then steps on the gas, refusing to let up until the shocking final moments.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2021 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #Zombies #Rec #JaumeBalaguero #PacoPlaza #ManuelaVelasco #PabloRosso
Today at http://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2021 Day 6 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2021 Day 6: Dead Shack (2017)

Dead Shack is not heavy on scares and the zombies are practically an afterthought, but if you like juvenile humor there’s a dark streak to this film that delivers in the end.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2021 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #DeadShack #Zombies #PeterRicq #LaurenHolly #DonavonStinson #MatthewNelsonMahood #LizzieBoys #GabrielLaBelle #ValerieTian
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Godzilla vs. Ko Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

If there was ever a film that deserved to be seen on as big a screen as possible, it’s Godzilla vs. Kong.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#GodzillaVsKong #Godzilla #Kong #Kaiju #LegendaryPictures #MonsterVerse #AdamWingard #MechaGodzilla #AlexanderSkarsgard #DemianBichir #EizaGonzalez #EricPearson #JulianDennison #KayleeHottle #KyleChandler #MaxBorenstein #MichaelDougherty #MillieBobbyBrown #RebeccaHall #ShunOguri
Load More... Follow on Instagram

TWITTER

My Tweets

Look Who's Talking

Ray
Ray - 3/3/2021
The Searchers: A Quaint and Polite Film about Racism, Rape, and Remorse
Bad review. Ethan doesn’t reject the family or society at the end, he realizes there is no place...
Amari Wolfe
Amari Wolfe - 12/11/2020
Popcorn Cinema: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Don't know why, but the mention of Whammo Air Blasters made me laugh until it hurt. Very nicely...
mega leo
mega leo - 12/5/2020
Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
To torture someone takes a cold kind of sadism. One that exceeds rage or revenge. One that shows a...
RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

Archives

Large_rectangle_336X280
All work on this site is Copyright © each individual writer.
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
%d bloggers like this: