Ranking Edgar Wright's Best Films from Iconic to Underrated

With the release of The Running Man, I decided to rewatch all of Edgar Wright's films. Edgar Wright is a criminally underrated director with a unique style in his movies of strong soundtracks and vibrant colors. Each movie takes on a different genre and spoofs it while also giving it a loving tribute. He has made seven movies, and in my opinion, has not made a bad film. Each of his comedies is very funny, while the other films perfectly achieve the genre they are going for. With all that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the seven films of Edgar Wright.

7. The World's End

The World's End is the weakest of Edgar Wright's films. However, the worst movie from Edgar Wright is still a good movie from most other directors. This movie is a bit of a homage to the Invasion of the Body Snatchers type of story. I like how the movie is about this group of friends from 20 years ago and how they have all changed, or not changed, over time. However, I feel that this movie loses itself a bit with everything it tries to do in the plot. It wants to be a friend group story while also having romance, alien invasions, and discussing ideas about not holding on to the past. All in a span of under 2 hours. It isn't as funny as the other films in the Cornetto trilogy, and the plot itself is quite a bit more convoluted. It just felt like Edgar Wright didn't completely iron out what he wanted to do in the story. I also found these characters to be less memorable and charismatic than in the other films. Overall, while still a decent science fiction story, I felt that it didn't fully find its identity or have that extra edge that the other films on this list do.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

6. Last Night in Soho

Last Night in Soho is Edgar Wright going into full horror. This movie is a bit different than the others on this list. It doesn't have any of the humor that the other films do and opts for a much more serious story. The movie does a great job of blending modern-day London with the style and vibe of the 1960s. There is a pretty seamless move when transitioning between the two time periods. Last Night in Soho also does a great job of slowly transitioning the film into full horror. The movie starts as a dream-like state with Eloise full of hope and inspiration, and gradually moves into a nightmare as Eloise sees more of the past in her dreams. Even though this is a horror film, we still get the vibrant colors and strong soundtrack that is what Edgar Wright is known for. The main actors, Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Matt Smith, are all great as they start as blissful to full-on anger and terror as the story goes on. However, the movie falls a bit for me as we get to the ending. I don't think it fully lands at the end, and there are a few plot holes that have to be ignored to get the ending. The first 90% was great, but the last 10% wasn't as satisfying and concise as it should be. In the end, this was a very effective horror film that blends fashion, 1960s aesthetic, and horror together. I just wish the final moments had landed a little better.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

5. Baby Driver

Baby Driver is the film that fully embraces the music aspect of Edgar Wright's directing style. This movie takes the heist genre and tells it from the perspective of the getaway driver, which is a very interesting take on the typical formula. The soundtrack is the standout to this movie, as each song is perfectly synced to a specific sequence in the movie and is actually present in the actual scene as Baby is constantly listening to music. This movie fully showcases Edgar Wright's skills in incorporating music into his films. I really liked Baby as the main character, as he maintains a fairly innocent worldview even though he is surrounded by a bunch of criminals. He doesn't want to hurt people, even though those around him have no problem with it. The movie also has a great cast of supporting characters with Jamie Fox, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, and Kevin Spacey. I also like how fast-paced the movie is. It is basically a nonstop ride from beginning to end. I don't have any big problems with this film. I wish it had a bit more meat to it, but on the whole, this is very good. In the end, this is a very good movie with a lot of thrills and a great soundtrack.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

4. The Running Man

The Running Man is the newest film from Edgar Wright. This movie brings Edgar Wright's style to the dystopian action genre. I thought the general premise and story were very interesting. The movie does a great job of giving us this world with such a deep divide between the Network and the working-class people. I thought Glen Powell was great in this movie. His performance here shows that he can carry a blockbuster type of movie and is on his way to becoming a big name star. As with the other Edgar Wright films, this movie has a lot of energy and a rocking soundtrack. It also delivers a lot of exciting and pretty unique action sequences, as well as brings the perfect tone with this type of story. I also liked how fast the story moves. This is the longest of Edgar Wright's films at over 2 hours, but it flies by so quickly. I had a lot of fun with this movie. What keeps it out of the top three is that it does feel like the most restrained of Edgar Wright's films. The others have this edge to them, and this one just doesn't. In some aspects, it feels like any director could have made it. However, even a more generic movie from Edgar Wright is still a very good movie. Overall, this movie was a lot of fun, and it was nice to see Edgar Wright get to be able to play with some larger budget spectacle.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

3. Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead is Edgar Wright's take on the Zombie apocalypse sub-genre. This is a very funny movie about two bumbling friends fighting their way through a horde of zombies. The movie features great chemistry between Nick Frost and Simon Pegg as they stumble their way through the neighborhood trying to find refuge. I like the witty British humor that becomes commonplace in Edgar Wright's films. The movie also has a very fun soundtrack featuring songs like Don't Stop Me Know as people are trying to fight zombies. I also like the high-energy fast fast-paced tone that is used in this movie. There is never a lull in the story as the run time is only about 90 minutes. The overall casualness of the characters during the zombie attack is what makes this movie so funny, and something that just elevates the movie to the next level. Overall, this movie is a great horror comedy that makes fun of the Zombie genre while also unashamedly being a typical zombie movie.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

2. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is probably the most uniquely stylized of all of Edgar Wright's films. The film still has Edgar Wright's signature style but also borrows aspects from comic books and video games. All of the fight sequences are styled after fighting video games, from the hit points to the impact of the punches, while the characters' emotions and everyday aspects are styled with comic books, such as little drawings floating around expressing love or a thought bubble. The movie is also very fast-moving, going from event to the next, with even the more dialogue-heavy scenes having more of a jumpy energy to them. I also like how the movie just embraces the insanity of everything. All of the characters just randomly have these superhuman abilities like in a video game, and the movie just goes with it and doesn't acknowledge any of the fantasy elements. It just acts like this is the world, and I am down for it. The movie also has a stacked cast of pre-famous people like Michael Cera, Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman, and Kieran Culkin. They even got post-Superman Returns Brandon Routh to be in the movie. Literally everyone in this movie had great success after this film. Overall, this is a super fun film and blends just about everything I love (comedy, movies, video games, and comic books) together.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

1. Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz is my favorite Edgar Wright film. It manages to be a great parody of the buddy cop action genre while also being a really awesome action movie. The movie proves that Simon Pegg can pull off the super cool action hero. I liked the detective aspect of this film, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost having to figure out the mystery behind a bunch of murders in a quiet town. The movie also has a surprisingly good twist to it, considering it is a comedy. The best part about this movie is the relationship between Nicholas Angel and Danny. It grows into a great strong friendship and makes for a lot of great moments where they play off each other. The last 30 minutes of the movie is just so much as it goes into full on action mode. The movie just shows the skill of Edgar Wright and why he should be a top tier director. In the end, this is a great action comedy and is why Edgar Wright is one of my favorite directors.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-