Edgar Wright returns to theaters this month with his new film “The Running Man,” starring Glen Powell. Wright has made some of the most prolific action-comedies of the century thus far. Wright is best known for his signature style of offbeat humor, quick editing, and fast camerawork. One of the most common tropes of the Wright catalogue is making passionate homages to genre filmmaking. The Wright filmography has brought about some of the most creative sequences in modern filmmaking. With the release of his latest film, it is time to see how his films hold up in the year 2025.
9. A Fistful of Fingers (1995)
Look, no one has ever heard of Edgar Wright’s debut film, “A Fistful of Fingers”. Unless you feel like completing the Wright filmography, there is no real use in checking this film out, that is, if you can even find a copy of it on the depths of the internet. To give a quick summary, the film is about a cowboy who is seeking revenge on another bandit who killed his horse. It is largely a play on “The Lone Ranger”.
That said, a lot of what people would come to love about Wright as a director can be found in “A Fistful of Fingers”. You can see the bones of the camera work and editing style that his films would be known for in the following few decades. It screams student film, but it is kind of admirable in its efforts. It features early examples of the offbeat comedy that he would later master with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. There are a fistful of funny jokes in the film, but there are also a few racial undertones that have not aged well in the slightest.
8. Last Night in Soho (2021)
It feels like there was a lot weighing on “Last Night in Soho”. The film had the task of being the follow-up to Wright’s most financially successful film of his career, “Baby Driver”. The film also had the struggle of coming out in October of 2021, where it had to compete against both COVID and “Dune”.
The box office struggles of “Last Night in Soho” aside, I wish there were an argument to be made that this film is an underrated gem in the Wright catalog, but that just is not the case. We follow the story of an aspiring fashion designer who discovers she can travel back to the 1960s, where she embodies an aspiring singer. It is a clever premise and the film is ambitious with its camera work and editing. A lot is going for “Last Night in Soho” in terms of visuals and performances. The film’s ending struggles to be anything memorable and the commentary on women being exploited in the entertainment industry feels like it might be the least thought-out part of the film, which is not ideal.
7. The Sparks Brothers (2021)
“The Sparks Brothers” is the definition of a passion project. This nearly two and a half hour documentary covers the many highs and many lows of the musical duo “Sparks”. This is the first time Wright has worked in the documentary space from a feature-length film standpoint.
“The Sparks Brothers” is a charming documentary that does a good job painting the portrait of these two brothers if you are not already familiar with their work, which, in that sense, makes the film successful. The film uses various animation styles, archival footage, and several interviews from noteworthy celebrities to tell the story of these musicians. As of the filming of this documentary, the band has 25 albums and the documentary makes an effort to touch most, if not all of them, in quick segments. While the history of the various eras of the group’s career is not the most in-depth, you get the big picture of the band, which is equally as interesting.
6. The Running Man (2025)
“The Running Man” is the most recent addition to the Wright filmography. The film is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel and is a loose remake of a 1987 film of the same title starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a lot of ways, “The Running Man” feels like one of the most ambitious Wright films, especially when it comes to talking about politics and the state of the world. It marks new territory for Wright, which is exciting.
That said, “The Running Man” can be a bit messy at points. Some of the film’s tone and humor are all over the place, and Glen Powell does the best he can to be an action star. There are a handful of great action sequences and a remarkable supporting cast that breathe a lot of life into the film. What might be the most bizarre part of “The Running Man” is that it does not feel like a Wright film. Even “Last Night in Soho”, a film that has a lot of issues, still has the life that Wright brings to his movies. “The Running Man” is not a bad film; it just feels like Wright toned down, which is unfortunate.
5. World’s End (2013)
“Worlds End” is the final chapter in the Cornetto Trilogy, which started with Wright’s creative collaboration with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in 2004’s “Shaun of the Dead”. The final installment is far from a bad film, but it does not have quite the same energy and strength as the other two films.
“Worlds End” is a get-the-band-back-together movie. We follow Simon Pegg’s character, who plays an immature man in his 40s who wants to go pub hopping with his buddies from his youth, like they are in their 20s again. While a film about middle-aged people feeling nostalgic does not seem like something Wright would normally make, the film makes an aggressive twist that causes “World’s End” to be one of the most underrated sci-fi films of the 2010s. Wright’s lean into the science fiction genre is a lot of fun, but that’s kind of all it is.
4. Hot Fuzz (2007)
The second film in the Cornetto Trilogy is “Hot Fuzz”, a film that raises the stakes and filmmaking of Wright to new heights. Wright works alongside Simon Pegg and Nick Frost once again for this movie that parodies the action genre. Pegg and Frost play a buddy cop duo who have recently been relocated to a small village in Europe. The duo uncover a dangerous conspiracy in the small town and they must work together to take down the operation.
“Hot Fuzz” is one of the densest movies to come out of Wright’s filmography. It moves fast and feels like it is speaking to comedies such as “Airplane!” or “Naked Gun” in the way that there is a visual joke in almost every moment of the film. The film ends with one of the most over-the-top action sequences, which is one of the highlights of the Wright films.
3. Baby Driver (2017)
“Baby Driver” operates as Wright’s most successful film to date from a commercial standpoint. It is also the most grounded film he has made. We follow the story of a getaway driver who needs to pay off his debts with a very powerful crime boss and he uses music to help his driving abilities.
Wright reaches new heights in his filmmaking on “Baby Driver” as he is able to blend the chaotic editing and camera work that dominate his previous films, with a more mainstream look and feel. The use of music and sound editing in “Baby Driver” is a real achievement; it creates an aesthetic for the film that is engaging for the viewer and unique. If you have never seen a film from Wright before, “Baby Driver” is probably the best one to start with. It features all the common hallmarks of his filmmaking style, but is a bit toned down and more focused on a compelling narrative.
2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
There is an argument to be made that the screenplay for “Shaun of the Dead” might be one of the best pieces of work to come out of the 2000s comedy scene. “Shaun of the Dead” is the best type of parody film; it manages to celebrate the thing that it is also poking fun at. The film’s humor is what makes “Shaun of the Dead” so rewatchable. There are plenty of gags and bits that might go over the viewer’s head on first watch. While only Wright’s second film, “Shaun of the Dead,” is the first major splash that the director made in the film industry. It is remarkable how well-made and well-crafted a film this early in someone’s career is. While it might be Wright’s most grounded film, it is probably the film on this list that is worth rewatching the most.
1. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (2010)
“Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” takes all of the greatness of how Wright makes movies and puts it all into one package. The Cornetto Trilogy focuses on celebrating and poking fun at the horror, science fiction and action genres; “Scott Pilgrim” follows into that same lineage with its ability to celebrate comic books and video games. We follow the story of Scott Pilgrim, the bass player in an indie-rock band, who has fallen for a mysterious girl named Ramona Flowers. To win the heart of Ramona, he must fight her seven evil ex-partners.
While previous films from Wright have a kinetic energy to how they are presented, “Scott Pilgrim” dials it up to 11 and never stops. At the center of the film is one if not the best, Michael Cera performances, who is at his most awkward, yet charming. It is the funniest Wright has ever been, the craziest and has some of the best action to come out of the 2010’s. There is nothing more you could ask for in a Wright film that is not on presentation in “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World”.