By Jalyn Bolyard, Online Editor

When I went to the movies a couple nights ago, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about Baby Driver. Directed and written by Edgar Wright, the R-rated action movie took me by surprise with its amazing soundtrack. Why? Without the music, the movie is nothing.

Baby Driver is full of thrills and excitement, all showcased and heavily reliant on the fun and upbeat tunes played throughout. It also has a cast you’ll definitely recognize.

Title character Baby (Angel Elgort) is a young music lover and getaway driver for several heists that are led by Doc (Kevin Spacey). Early on, it is shown that it’s more of a coercion than Baby wanting to drive for him. Several heists take place, with various members looking to make a buck, including Darling (Eiza Gonzalez), Buddy (Jon Hamm) and Bats (Jamie Foxx). However, the movie doesn’t just focus on the tense heists and getaways. 

Baby’s backstory comes to full circle about why he listens to music all the time and how he came to live with his deaf foster father, Joseph (CJ Jones). Then, of course, he meets a girl – a waitress named Debora (Lily James). After that, all Baby wants to do is get out of the game. Of course, it is never that simple.

The car chases are exciting and thrilling – all the while Baby jams with earbuds in, making anybody want to dance while watching. However, what I thought would be a pure action movie ended up having a storyline that tugged at my heart. Baby’s story is not a happy one most of the time, but he has his redeeming moments that make you cheer him on.

Although some parts seemed choppy and the ending is questionable, I really enjoyed the movie. It also had some funny parts as well, so it really had something for everyone.

I’m not the only one who enjoyed it, either. Baby Driver currently has a positive 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. If you love car chases, heists, twists and music, you’ll love this movie.

In short, it wasn’t what I expected at all – but I’m so glad it wasn’t.

Photo credit: IMDb.com