Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

On August 23, 2010 · 4 Comments · In Film Review

"An epic of epic epicness" is a right.

Director Edgar Wright

Stars Michael Cera, Mark Webber, Kieran Culkin, Jason Schwartzman & Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Things You Might Like

Entertaining story
Clever dialogue
Excellent visuals that capture the feel of the comics perfectly
Fantastic sound track
Edgar Wright’s signature touch
Wonderful performances from the entire cast
Nods to classic gaming in sound effects/background music
A Rom-Com for nerds

Things You Might Not Like

Story is slightly watered-down and modified for time’s sake
All the nerd culture references
The film’s pacing is pretty fast

Conclusion
A faithful adaptation of Brian Lee O’Malley’s comic series that is entirely fan-service in the best way, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a great way to end the summer movie season.

5 out of 5 Evil Exes Defeated*

Josh Robinson

***

It’s a tale as old as time: Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Boy must defeat girl’s seven evil exes in order to pursue the relationship. Okay, so maybe not as old as time. Perhaps, in fact, it’s original. Well, this is the premise of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010). Scott Pilgrim, portrayed by Michael Cera, is a twenty-something slacker living in Toronto, Canada. He’s in a band, Sex Bob-omb, with his friends and he’s unemployed. A lot of people can relate. Also, his love life is pretty much in shambles. He meets a nice young girl, 17 year-old Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), and they start dating. It’s easy, simple, and Scott likes this. However, he soon meets the girl of his dreams (literally), Ramona Flowers, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Things pick up from there and before he knows it, Scott finds out that in order to keep dating Ramona, he must defeat her seven evil exes. What ensues is a romantic comedy jam-packed full of nods and references to nerd culture that any geek would be proud to take his/her significant other to see.

First, let’s address the writing. The script is based on Brian Lee O’Malley’s successful comic book series. It is fantastic. Did I mention that it is co-written by Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz)? Well, it is. What the audience gets is a very enjoyable story full of excellent dialogue. While the story’s more tangential elements were trimmed down to fit the box office, the larger story remains the same. It does not suffer for the lack of them. Next, let’s discuss the effects.

The special effects in this movie are what will likely set it apart in years to come. While not mind-bending, what makes the effects “special” is that they are almost entirely based on video games. Wright made it clear that he is not willing to shy away from the more niche’ (read: entertaining) parts of the story. Battles with Ramona’s evil exes take the form of classic fighting game intros, with Scott and the Ex on opposite sides of the screen; a pixelated “VS” filling the space between. Reminiscent of old Saturday-afternoon martial arts movies,The fights are over-the-top in the best way. Generous, but not overpowering, use of the ridiculous (see: Ramona pulling giant hammer out of her purse) confirm that Wright wanted to remain faithful to the audience that made the books famous. Lastly, let’s discuss the music.

Music is a large part of the film and comics. Scott is in a band, and so this works its way in very naturally. There are some Sex Bob-Omb songs (written by Beck), a “Bass Battle” in one of the fights, and Scott mentions learning the bass line from Final Fantasy II. Use of the soundtrack and sound effects from The Legend of Zelda appear frequently and are used perfectly. Music is the focus of several “Ex Battles”, so be prepared for a lot of really cool songs.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is the perfect movie to wrap-up the Summer movie season. It’s got charm, plenty of laughs, and enough romance to keep those less-than-enthused non-nerds entertained as well. I should make it clear, though, that being exposed to nerd culture will exponentially increase your enjoyment of this film. Go see this before it’s too late.

*(I know there are 7 evil exes, Internet. If one of you calls me on this, I’ll burn the Web to the ground.)

Buy Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World from Amazon now