Entertaining genre bender with superb sound design

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2017)

Edgar Wright makes original, stand-alone films with good pacing. Franchise flicks struggle with pacing because you have to think about what's to come. It's not a complete work of fiction so you have to compromise. Not so with original flicks. Wright doesn't sequel bait in the slightest, and it's refreshing.
He reminds you why you're sitting in a cinema watching a film instead of sitting in the cinema watching some CGI team hog the PS4 controller. He does intelligent visual and auditory comedy which cannot be done in video games, in books or on radio. His previous films have had mostly visual comedy, but Baby Driver goes all in on the auditory alternative.
Action scenes sync to Baby's music, creating what feels a bit like an action-musical in some scenes. He gets the ratio right - the characters aren't dancing around in the action scenes, they're still fighting. Gunshots match to beats, that sort of thing. If you like a healthy dose of soul, blues dripping rock, Motown, even heavy metal, then you'll love the soundtrack.
One moment you're in mindless action, the next you're suddenly in a romance, then the musicals break out. It's a bit all over the place but comes together convincingly enough for me to recommend it to all audiences. An A-list cast doesn't hurt.
See it in the cinemas or on a home cinema with good surround sound.
9/10