Edgar Wright’s long-awaited next film is finally hitting theaters soon. Wright’s last movie was 2013’s The World’s End, though it was originally supposed to be 2015’s Ant-Man. Marvel ended up all right with replacement Peyton Reed. And based on the trailer for Baby Driver, Wright is back making a movie that probably reflects his style and sensibility more than playing in the Marvel sandbox.
Baby Driver made its premiere at the SXSW festival, drawing rave reviews from the critics and fans in Austin. That made have had something to do with Sony Pictures deciding to move the release date up from August to June. At that same point one month ago, the movie’s first trailer was released, which showed a fast-paced, music-fueled thrill ride with an impressive cast. This looks like the movie Guy Ritchie wishes he could make. The story follows a young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) with a strange quirk who works for a band of thieves and a nurturing crime boss (Kevin Spacey).
That preview explained more of the premise and story, while a new international trailer debuting on Tuesday focuses more on the exciting car chases, action, and the music — notably Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” here. Take a look:
Baby Driver looks like it could put The Fate of the Furious in distant memory, though that franchise obviously has an eight-film established brand (and Dwayne Johnson) to stand upon. But the Fast and Furious movies don’t have Edgar Wright behind the camera, nor a villain like Kevin Spacey (if he is indeed the big bad guy, but it certainly appears so). Do Jamie Foxx and Charlize Theron essentially cancel each other out? Maybe that’s as far as we should try to take this comparison.
The premise of the driver needing music to drown out the ringing in his ears is creative — and provides an excellent opportunity for a hard-driving soundtrack — and maybe a clever take on people constantly walking around with their earbuds in. (If there’s a sequel, maybe he can hook himself up with a pair of wireless earbuds.) The scene where he can’t go until he starts a song over again is something anyone who listens to music while working out (or doing any kind of activity, really) surely relates to.
Baby Driver premieres in theaters on June 28. Here is a look at the first trailer (which I personally think is better, though maybe not quite as fun):
