Shiny and cool, but kind of obnoxious

Rating: 6/10 (10 January 2018)

After seeing this movie a week ago and talking to friends and family, I began to truly get a sense of how polarizing this movie is. To start though, I want to note what is remarkable about this movie: the soundtrack of Baby Driver is thrilling and executed with special attention timing. The main character, Baby has a special attachment to his ipod - a plot device that turns what would normally be non-diegetic music (not audible to characters) into diegetic music and thus a way for us to hear to everything Baby is hearing.
What this should have provided is a window into the character and a way for us to relate to Baby. However, where this movie falters and what I believe is its critical failure is how unremarkable but still cocky Baby is. We know that we are supposed to care for this guy (evidenced by the contrived heartfelt, yet superficial backstory that the writer threw in), yet I couldn't care about him less.
None of the characters are that interesting and the story completely lacks emotional depth. All this serves to turn what could have been an entertaining, fast-paced heist movie into another shiny, stylish blockbuster that thinks it's hot sh*t. Meanwhile, I was left wishing Baby would get hit by a bus.