Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

"Scott Pilgrim" is one of the most creative, fresh and original films I have seen in ages, and because of that I was in absolute awe of the film. However, despite being a terrific film, I also understand that this is NOT a film that will appeal to everyone--in fact, it's probably one of the more polarizing films I have ever seen--you'll probably either love it or hate it. While I am NOT in the target demographic group (aged 15-30 and predisposed to loving graphic novels AND video games), I did enjoy it--and am probably the rare 40-something person who loved the film. What was different about me is that I am a geek (a definite plus), enjoy video games and have a rabid comic book fan for a daughter--so I understood many of the pop culture references throughout the film. But, if you are NOT a geek, hate video games and see graphic novels more as comic books, then the movie might be a chore to watch. Plus you might just feel ooky hanging out with geeks. Don't worry, they are almost all very nice people!

So what, other than originality, did I love about this film? Well, just about everything--and I seriously considered giving the film a 10--I liked it that much. Perhaps the best thing for me was casting of Michael Cera in the lead. Unlike the traditional super-hero, he is by far the geekiest and most likable main character I have seen. Seeing such a wimpy and unassuming guy become, out of no where, like a character from Mortal Combat was a wonderful juxtaposition--you just couldn't help but smile. And, despite his nerdy looks, he was winning as Scott Pilgram...and actually played the music his on-screen band played--now that's talent. Additionally, I loved the film's gentle sense of humor---I laughed harder at this film than any film I've seen in the theater in some time. I could try to describe these moments--you just need to see them for yourself. Odd references to games like DOA, Mortal Combat, Marvel Vs. Capcom and Zelda II were great--I caught on to those due to my own geeky background. And, my familiarity with anime/manga also made me laugh--as the hair, love for girls in school uniforms and style were often straight out of Japanese comics. And, I loved how the film made me love video games and was simply much, much more fun that the original "Tron" (which I always felt was too dry--perhaps the new version will correct this).

Clever, wonderful and strange, this film is the geek's dream come true...and not a film to be missed. However, if you aren't a geek or are perhaps too old to get the pop references, I say take along an interpreter--many comic book nerds and couch potatoes would be glad to go with you and help explain things...provided you pay for the tickets.

Among the nearly 9000 reviews I have now done on IMDb, this ranks in the hallowed ranks of a very small group of movies that transcended the pack due to its utter weirdness. It's surreal and weird--and I think this makes it very special. For other films that fall into this category, try "The Happiness of the Katikuris", "Delicatessen", "Yes Nurse, No Nurse", "Tatie Danielle" and "Tampopo"--all truly unique, surreal and fabulous films.

I guess I am not the age demographic that this film is based at but I liked it. My daughter loves it, she even made me by her the DVD.

Scott Pilgrim is a magical realism/fantasy teen comedy with pop art video game visuals. Deep in its heart its just a hip, flashy teen romantic comedy.

Edgar Wright better known as the director of the Cornetto Trilogy adapts this comic book series like it was an edgy fast paced pseudo Japanese video game.

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) plays bass in his garage rock band Sex Bob-omb who meets his dream girl Ramona Flowers (Elizabeth Mary Winstead) who is new in town. However he is soon pursued by Ramona's seven evil exes who all challenge Scott Pilgrim to a duel and Scott needs to keep them in check with his zaps and zingers Streetfighter style.

Cera has the right balance of geeky, slacker dude, Canadian hipster charm as Scott Pilgrim who is very likable even though he quickly ditched High School student Knives for Ramona.

The Evil Exes are a colourful bunch with some star names amongst them. Chris Evans is a skateboarding movie star whose entrance is accompanied with the Universal Pictures theme tune. Jason Schwartzman is a megalomaniac record producer. Brandon Routh is a pretentious vegan rock star with the ability to fly just like Superman.

There is a lot of scene stealing in this film like Kieran Culkin as Scott's sneaky gay roommate, Anna Kendrick as Scott's sister and particularly Ellen Wong as Knives the slightly too young ditched girlfriend who is still loyal to Scott.

I actually found this to be a fast moving, quirky, rocking, enjoyable comedy drama.

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a twenty-something slacker living in Toronto, who basically leeches off his friends. Despite being in a "relationship" with Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), he keeps dreaming about another girl. He quickly finds out this dream girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), is actually quite real, and decides to pursue her. But before they can truly become the couple Scott hopes for, he has to defeat her seven evil exes.

I did not think it was possible, but Edgar Wright has fairly successfully brought Bryan Lee O'Malley's epic graphic novel series to the big screen in the most uniquely entertaining way possible. It is his first adapted work, but it feels every bit as fresh (I use that word very loosely) as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz did upon their initial releases. It deviates from the books a bit (much like Matthew Vaughn's excellent adaptation of Kick-Ass earlier this year), but the majority of the film stays true to the series and gives the fans everything they might expect from a Scott Pilgrim film. Right after the film opening with an 8-bit Universal logo and score, you know you are in for a treat.

What propels Wright's epic and inspired vision is the editing style. All of the little idiosyncrasies, background/foreground items and ideas, everything that made O'Malley's books so revered in the graphic novel community are all in full force here. Some shots in the trailers suggest the comic book-style feel of the film, with the sounds of the actions appearing as words on-screen and the video game-related pop-ups appearing the same way they would in the game. But that is only the start. The entire film is filled with them, and with references to numerous pop culture entities (specifically video games), to the point that it looks and sounds like a ridiculously enhanced motion comic or game. Add to that the quick cuts and multiple panel style of the format, and you have the closest film representation of a comic since Robert Rodriguez attacked Frank Miller's Sin City.

Even with all the nods and references to the original work, Wright's film still feels very much his own work. He makes Scott Pilgrim's epic quest to defeat Ramona's exes into an understated work you will likely not see replicated too soon. After seeing Christopher Nolan's Inception just under a week ago, I did not think that mainstream Hollywood would release something so blazingly original and something so astonishly unique so close together. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is not nearly as strong a film as Nolan's masterpiece is, but Wright has clearly given it his all here. He has sidestepped away from following the lead of other comic book/graphic novel-style films, and has created something he can truly be proud of. The visuals on display are simply remarkable, and are worth the price of a ticket all on their own. The musical choices are even better. If you have seen the trailers, you are merely only getting a hint for what Wright has in store for you here.

If I do have an issue, it is that the film is a little too exposition-heavy in the first half, and way too jumpy in the second. It never loses its tone or its style, but it becomes all too blatantly obvious where the books stop and the deviation begins. The pacing here is also a touch off, and on further research, thoroughly suggests there is material missing or altered from the final cut of the film. I understand that Wright and his co-writer Michael Bacall wanted to set-up the story and where it plans on going for the few who venture into the film without having read a single issue, but there is too much detail given in those early scenes, and not enough to pivotal moments later in the film.

Another gripe, although it is one I hope will be less bothersome on repeat viewings, is that a good chunk of the characters feel incredibly underused. The books are stacked to the brim with an eclectic mix of supporting characters, who are present in the film, but they feel very stunted and get absolutely no development. Kim Pine (Alison Pill) is a very important character in the books, but she merely appears in the background here and delivers some of the best dialogue. Wallace Wells (the absolutely incredible scene-stealer Kieran Culkin) is the moral centre and source of an incredible amount of exposition, but he is barely in the film after the first half. Envy Adams (Brie Larson) almost feels like an extended cameo as opposed to an indispensible figure in Scott's character development. But then, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh and especially Jason Schwartzman all deliver stunning performances as three of Ramona's exes, despite the lack of time on-screen.

Cera on the other hand, is perfect as Pilgrim. The character plays a little too close to his stereotypical neurotic and off-centre archetype, but it works out beautifully here. He makes the character real, and brings a depth to Scott Pilgrim that no other young actor could. He has the right look and the right sound down pat. It was a little weird to see him get so physical in some sequences, but this is a vintage fit for Cera. Although they are downplayed more than I liked, Winstead and Wong are great as Ramona and Knives. They both have a certain edge throughout the film, and even at its most ridiculous, deliver strong performances. It helps too that they have insanely good chemistry with Cera.

I jumped at the idea of an advanced screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and I do not regret seeing the film in the slightest. It is a bit of a niche movie, but it is one that is lovingly made through and through.

8/10.

(An extended review also appeared on http://www.geekspeakmagazine.com).

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is probably as close as we'll come to having an experimental film released in theaters nationwide. This is one of the most innovative, original movies to come out in years. It's unlike anything I'd seen before. And yes, it is good, very good. I could not stop laughing the whole time.

Onto the plot. Scott is something of a loser. He's socially awkward. He shares a mattress in a bunker-like apartment in Toronto with a sarcastic gossip king. He's in a band called the Sex Bob-Ombs, but they're really not that great. He also has a clinging, hyperactive girlfriend, "Knives" who's only 17- kind of a big deal when he's 22. All this changes when he dreams of a purple haired girl on roller blades. The very next day he finds out that she's real; that her name is Ramona flowers and she's the cool new girl in town. His first attempt to hook up fails miserably. His second attempt, although even more lamed brained, actually works, and they're soon an item. But now comes the bad news; to win her love, Scott must defeat her seven evil ex's. He also has an evil ex of his own. Plus, there's the matter of breaking up with Knives, and the battle of the bands is coming up!

That's the setup, what follows is a hilarious romantic comedy punctuated by a series of completely over-the-top video game style fight scenes. Stylistically, I'd have to call them a cross between Sin City, Street Fighter and Viewtiful Joe. Each of the ex's has their own unique fighting style and their own super powers, such as vegan-powered telekinesis or summoning an army of stunt doubles. Often you hear martial arts movies criticized because the action is obviously computer aided. Here, that's the whole point.

The movie's humor comes not only from the sheer ridiculousness of the situations, but also from the characters' reactions to them. After one of the ex's has flown in through a brick wall and battled Scott in the middle of a concert, everyone is just kind of weirded out. They don't act like nothing has happened, which would make it hard for the audience to suspend their disbelief, nor do they run screaming for the police, which would only complicate matters.

Comedic effect is also generated through the use of deadpan dialog. For instance, when Knives confesses that she's never kissed a boy before, Scott replies, with a straight face "It's okay, neither have I." Or the band's self-introduction, "We're the Sex Bob-Ombs and we're here to make you all sad and depressed and stuff.

The movie also pokes gentle fun at hipster subculture with the way that Ramona has thirty plus flavors of tea, or how Scott's roommate is always texting. There are also quirky touches like one girl who can bleep herself out, much to Scott's amazement, and a scene when the intro from Seinfeld plays after the characters enter the apartment, and canned laughter follows every line.

The editing and structure are highly non-traditional, with heavy use of dreams, daydreams, montages, animated flashbacks and asides, and chapter titles introducing segments. The visuals are impressive and very imaginative, such as the way that flashes of color accompany the playing of any musical instrument, allowing you to see the sound. Speaking of which, the sound is another high point, not only the energetic, rock fueled sound track, but also the sound effects taken from classic games like Mario and Zelda.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World succeeds in telling an offbeat story, providing interesting characters, and in producing lots of laughs. Other than a couple of too-obvious puns, I honestly can't think of anything wrong with this movie. I would highly recommend it to anyone in their teens or twenties. Four stars.

I came to this films with no preconceptions of it as a movie and I have to say I am glad. I guess I was expecting another Michael Cera movie about some dopey kid in love. And thats what it is ... but done in a unusually great way. For anyone under 25 brought up on gaming (I am 30 and not) this will be just brilliant. The style of the movie with its "end of level baddies", game-play set-up and visuals are a welcome and refreshing twist on what could have been a hum-drum movie. The music rocked, the comedy was fast, slick and laugh out loud ... I'd definitely recommend this to my friends looking for something that little bit special.