From affectionate parody to sly nods, movies that inspired Last Night in Soho front and center.
The best pop culture references in film are those that evoke the same feelings as the source material whilst still adding to the movie, which is something Edgar Wright is one of the best at. These are just some of the best examples of the charming callbacks that distinguish his films.
Hot Fuzz (2007) - Bad Boys II (2003)
Wright's buddy cop comedy that also served as a loving pastiche of classic action movies, Hot Fuzz is a film full of iconic scenes that reference great cinema. The director sets up the reference by having Nick Frost's character, PC Danny Butterman, asking Nick Angel if he's seen a range of movies, and being shocked that Angel hasn't even seen Bad Boys II.
Despite the character's ignorance, both Angel and Butterman get to have their Bad Boys moment jumping through the air firing both guns in the style of the action classic at the start of their siege on the supermarket. Naturally, the move isn't very effective but it was satisfying to see the callback fulfilled.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004) - Michael Jackson: Thriller (1984)
The first movie of Edgar Wright's Cornetto trilogy, Shaun of the Dead has tons of references to pop and rock music, with the characters throwing records of beloved movie soundtracks at a zombie when their lives are in danger but drawing the line at throwing Purple Rain, as well as smashing a zombie with hockey sticks to the beat of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now."
The film also directly references the legendary music video to Michael Jackson's Thriller, with the zombies surrounding Michael in exactly the style of the music video whilst the movements of the camera also reflect the video. Edgar Wright's movie manages to give zombies a similarly stylish treatment to the pop icon.
Baby Driver (2017) - The Highlander (1986)
Interestingly, the climax of Edgar Wright's Baby Driver reflects the ending of a cult classic British fantasy film, The Highlander, that told the story of an immortal Scottish warrior finishing a centuries-old battle in a New York parking lot. Likewise in Baby Driver, the protagonist finds himself in a final standoff against Buddy in a parking garage.
The director includes a bunch of other parallels to the ending of the other movie, including using Queen's "Brighton Rock" in the scene to reflect the soundtrack of Highlander, which included several songs from the British rock band.
Last Night In Soho (2021) - Peeping Tom (1960)
Homage was one of the Edgar Wright trademarks in Last Night In Soho but a lot of the references in the director's latest movie are more subtle than in his previous outings. These references include a nod to Michael Powell's edgy horror-thriller from the early sixties, Peeping Tom.
In Last Night in Soho, Thomasin McKenzie's character Eloise is seen hiding from the taxi driver in the newsagents Mark visits in the earlier film. Whilst only the most attentive move watchers will have noticed this detail the first time, Edgar Wright took in the newsagents when shooting for the movie in London's Soho area and, as Condé Nast Traveler notes, was particularly happy about being able to do so.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010) - The Legend Of Zelda (1986)
Edgar Wright's adaptation of the Zelda series throughout the movie.
For example, Gideon Gordon Graves' company has the Triforce symbol for a logo - albeit flipped upside down to make it a tad more subtle. The movie also included sound effects and music from the game, as well as NegaScott being a reference to Dark Link from the series, the evil reflection of the character seen in the games.
Last Night In Soho (2021) - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Not afraid to call back to his own movies, Wright includes a reference to his beloved earlier film in his latest movie. In Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Brie Larson plays Envy Adams, a minor antagonist in the film, and dons a white coat with a ridiculously large collar and large buttons, becoming an iconic look for the character.
Likewise, in Last Night in Soho, Anya Taylor Joy's character ends up donning a white coat with large buttons as well as even having a similar hairstyle to the Scott Pilgrim character. This reference draws an unlikely parallel between the two characters in a film that did have some confusing details and headscratchers.
The World's End (2013) - Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
Wright has a habit of drawing unlikely parallels between characters, also doing so in The World's End by putting the typically drunk and boisterous protagonist, Gary King, in the position of Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings. As the character slowly comes to with his flaws and steps up as a leader in Wright's sci-fi comedy, his final scene encapsulates his transition.
The character walks into a bar and demands five glasses of water instead of alcohol and, when things turn violent, grabs his sword. Wright frames the scene as the one in which Aragorn draws his before charging into battle and King holds his sword in the same pose. The reference adds to the impression that King has stepped up as a hero and leader.
Baby Driver (2017) - Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997)
One of the best jokes from Wright's best movie to date comes from the group's plan to don masks in the style that Michael Myers wears in the Halloween franchise, which would be intimidating as well as easy to wear. Instead what the group of bank robbers ends up with are rubber masks of Mike Myers, the Canadian actor, in his role as the parody superspy in the Austin Powers series.
As the incompetent heist member protests "it is a Halloween mask!" - but the mask gives a very different effect, heightening the ridiculousness of the robbers as they get to work.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004) - Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
Wright's zombie movie references a variety of classic zombie films and George A. Romero's genre-founding hit is no exception. Wright puts a twist on a line in the older movie, which goes from a sarcastic warning "They're coming to get you, Barbara," to a confident, almost flippant statement of confidence from Shaun's friend Ed, who tells Shaun's mother "We're coming to get you, Barbara" before hanging up the phone.
The film included other cool references to Night of the Living Dead with Ed hitting a zombie with his car in the same manner as Ben does at the beginning of the George A. Romero movie.
Hot Fuzz (2007) - Point Break (1991)
Hot Fuzz references many classic action movies and one of the most satisfying is the callback to the Kathryn Bigelow flick starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. In Wright's film, the cop duo watches Point Break together with Nick Frost's character getting particularly excited by the scene in which Johnny ends up on the floor as the guy he chases gets away and fires his gun in the air, screaming in frustration.
Later in Hot Fuzz, the reference is brought back as the two fight their miniature war against the sinister forces at the heart of the village of Sandford and, brilliantly, Danny also ends up on the floor, and has his own opportunity to fire in the air and let out his rage in a single scream.
