Director Edgar Wright's adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O' Malley is probably one of the quintessential films for the "nerds" born between the years of 1985-1990 (and I mean that in the absolute best possible way). Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, released earlier this year, is an original, funny and charming film. It's full of video game references, comic book style visuals, and humorous, witty dialogue.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World follows the adventures of Scott, a 22 year old who leads a fairly uninteresting, average life. He's in a band called The Sex Bob-Ombs, has a gay roommate named Wallace, and just started dating a 17 year old Asian high schooler named Knives Chau.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World follows the adventures of Scott, a 22 year old who leads a fairly uninteresting, average life. He's in a band called The Sex Bob-Ombs, has a gay roommate named Wallace, and just started dating a 17 year old Asian high schooler named Knives Chau.
Eventually, Scott meets the girl of his dreams (literally) in the mysterious Ramona Flowers. He invites her to his band's next show at a local Battle of the Bands. While performing, he's attacked by a guy who claims to be one of Ramona's "seven evil exes." Scott must defeat him, and her other six exes, in order to date Ramona.
What makes Scott Pilgrim so great is the fact that it completely embraces the source material. It strives to be a visual representation of a comic book or video game, which makes it unique and more interesting. For example, when Scott kills one of the Evil Exes, they turn into coins - much like what happens in certain video games. You kill an enemy, you get money or items.. The comic book style effects (the "Pow!'s" and "Bang"'s) are vibrant and bright, and it just works. Using that style in a film sounds like something that could be simple, but what really sets comic books apart from other visual media is the way things jump out at the reader. Scott Pilgrim captures that perfectly.
The little video game references mixed in to the movie's plot give the film an added charm, especially for people like me who grew up completely obsessing over Nintendo and everything they put out. Each battle Scott has with an ex is like something out of an arcade beat-em-up fighter game (think Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat) and there are little references to Zelda, Tetris, and Final Fantasy.
Michael Cera's performance as Scott Pilgrim is great. He works well as the awkward hero who is put into circumstances beyond his control. And Mary Elizabeth Winstead manages to be mysterious and interesting as Ramona. There's also a few interesting cameos - Bill Hader does the narration, and Jason Schwartzman plays the leader of the evil exes.
My only real complaint with the film (and this is a total reach, because it doesn't involve me whatsoever) is that it's not something that can be enjoyed by all people. There was obviously a specific demographic they were aiming for with this film, and that's why it did so badly in the box office. I can see the film being a cult hit in the future though, and it's definitely something that rewards re-watches. If you're under thirty and grew up with a love for video games and comics, like I did, you'll enjoy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It's one of my favorite films of the year.
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