Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Released: August 13th 2010

Directed by Edgar Wright

Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Mark Webber, Ellen Wong, Anna Kendrick, Johnny Simmons, Allison Pill, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, Brandon Routh

First Viewing: August 15th, 2010

Roger -4/5 stars

Well, I’m disappointed to see that this movie had a weak stint at the box office, because it deserves to be a hit. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was funny, entertaining, fresh, and thoroughly enjoyable…but I guess a movie based on a small-time graphic novel just doesn’t cut it these days. I suppose audiences want to see the same old, same old.

Which is a shame. It’s worth your time to go see Scott Pilgrim. In a movie year filled with bland, boring disappointments, this movie is bright, funny, and surprisingly good. Scott is a 22-year old slacker from Toronto, who plays in a band and half-heartedly dates a high school girl. Until he meets the girl of his dreams. Until he must defeat said girl’s seven evil exes, mortal-combat style.

Scott Pilgrim is an ode (albeit tongue-in-cheek) to video games, indie rock bands, comic books, witty comedy, youth, love, and it even has quite a few nods to Canada.

I laughed unexpectedly often, and let me tell you, that doesn’t happen much anymore. The attention to detail made every scene delightful, and each fight scene manages to be original and fresh. (And pretty damn cool). The cast, from Cera (who has some of the best comic delivery I’ve ever seen) to Culkin (great job, Mr. Scene Stealer) are all great, and deliver laughs and heart, often from moment to moment. Somehow, director Edgar Wright manages to combine the mundane reality of life with the glowing fantasy of video games and make it work. It’s always a fine line to walk, asking the audience to go along for this kind of ride, and this movie succeeds in doing it, with style. I totally bought into the world that he’s created on screen, and had a great time doing so.

If you’re older than say, 40, you might not get all the fun references to the video game era. But you’ll still have a good time at the movies, and isn’t that what going to the movies is about? Go see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It’s thoroughly entertaining, and it has so much to offer that you’re bound to like something about it. The attention to detail in every scene is thorough and lovingly done. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a true original, and it’s a really good true original. The more I think about it, the more I admire how fresh and enjoyable this movie is, and the more disappointed I am that I know the Twilight movies will make far more than Scott Pilgrim ever will.