If you took “Singing in the Rain“, infused it with rock and roll, and injected that into your standard Honda Civic’s gas tank, you’d get “Baby Driver”.
“Baby Driver”, directed by Edgar Wright, follows Baby, a getaway driver who wants out of his life of crime.               
This movie does a great job at getting viewers to root for Baby. Baby suffers from tinnitus and relies on music to exist in the world and do his job. I really love this character. This movie does a great job at introducing Baby to us in the first fifteen minutes, which is arguably my favorite part of the movie. Watching Baby walk down the street on his way to get coffee with his headphones in and dancing to music makes this music-loving introvert extremely happy.
Speaking of music, a big thing that stands out when thinking back through this movie is the soundtrack. It is absolutely killer, and Wright uses it to its fullness.
When I think of good soundtracks in films, the first movie that pops into my head is “Guardians of the Galaxy”. That movie would be completely different if it did not have its amazing soundtrack to anchor it. Baby Driver has this same feel to it. Wright actually takes a note from some musicals and edits his film to the beat of the music, and it is awesome to watch. It is not something I have ever seen in an action movie and it was so much fun to watch.
Along those same lines, in a movie about a getaway driver, one would hope to see some amazing getaways. Wright delivers in this area too with easily some of the best chase scenes I’ve seen in a film. You really feel like you are along for the ride. Adding in the amazing soundtrack I mentioned earlier, you get some amazing action set pieces. They are a blast to watch and left me wanting more.
Now for some minor notes: performances across the board are great. I’m most impressed with Ansel Elgort who plays Baby. He rides the line of young, playful and arrogant really well. You really believe he is the best at his job. His chemistry with co-star Lily James convinces viewers of their relationship. The editing and sound in this movie are easily the best I have seen this year. It would not surprise me if there are some technical Oscar nominations in this movie’s future.  
But I don’t think this movie nails everything. When the movie decides to slow down, it really slows down. Maybe it is because the rest of the movie is so fast paced it makes me feel this way, but whenever the movie decides to take a break to let viewers breathe, I just wanted to get back to the action. There were a few times when I thought to myself, “Alright, I get it. Can I just watch Baby drive some more?”
Part of what contributes to this is that not every relationship in the film really lands. There is supposed to be some sort of relationship between Baby and Doc, Kevin Spacey’s character, that is not fully explored. None of the members of the gang really interact in a way that is super engaging. There are a few scenes that are really solid and I was fully invested in what they were doing, but then there were others when I just wanted them to stop beating the dead horse with information I already knew.
There is plenty more I’d like to say about this film, but I’d be treading deep into spoiler territory. If you are looking to get out this weekend and have a blast at the movie theater, please go see “Baby Driver”. It’s really important to support movies like this, and I think it is worth watching on the big screen.
I give “Baby Driver” a 7/10. The amazing action scenes, the killer soundtrack and some surprises I didn’t see coming, overcome the moments when the movie gets bogged down.
If you have seen “Baby Driver” I’d love to know what your thoughts! Tweet at me @CSmithy16 with your 140 character review and let me know what movie you’d like me to see next. If you’d like me to do a spoiler review, let me know. There’s plenty I’d like to talk about.
Contact Collin Smith at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter.