Special Review
This review was requested by Patreon support JacksJD. If you'd like to support me on Patreon, click the button below. Visit PatreonIn August 2004, Portland-based publisher Oni Press published Scott Pilgrim, a series of graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Upon its publication, the series was widely praised, earning several awards and being put on various lists of best comics. Following the publication of the first volume, Oni Press reached out to producer Marc Platt about adapting it to film. Through Platt, Universal picked up the rights and hired Edgar Wright, who just finished Shaun of the Dead, to direct. Wright and writer Michael Bacall had O’Malley on standby working on the script to make sure they stayed faithful. At the same time, Wright was working on the screenplay for what became Ant-Man, but he put it on hold. Filming took place from March to August 2009 before getting a wide theatrical release in August 2010. So, with that backstory out of the way, let’s discuss Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
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Synopsis
Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a 22-year-old slacker from Toronto who plays bass for an indie band called Sex Bob-Omb. He has a 17-year-old Chinese girlfriend named Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) much to the chagrin of his bandmates and friends. One night at a party, Scott meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), an American girl working as an Amazon deliverer. Scott instantly falls in love with her and they start dating, but dating her comes at a price. For them to continue dating, Scott must defeat her seven evil exes in a fight to the death. These include movie star Lucas Lee (Chris Evans), superpowered vegan Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), and leader Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman). Despite the odds being stacked against him, Scott decides to take on the challenge to prove his love for Ramona. But will love be enough to complete this task?
Review
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is one of the most uniquely imaginative and entertaining films of the past decade. Much like Edgar Wright’s other films, the quick cuts and breakneck pacing keeps thing moving so you’re never bored. Each of the action sequences is well choreographed and filmed in such a way that you can follow along. Much like the comics, the fights are stylized after classic beat ’em up games like Street Fighter and Double Dragon. The cast is great, too, each of them feeling like they were taken straight out of the comics. Cera, who was known for playing this type of character at the time, works as the likable loser Scott Pilgrim. While he sometimes comes off somewhat self-centered and snarky, you get a sense that there’s some deep-seated depression. Like many of us in our early 20s, he has a lot more to learn.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, on top of being the punk rock chick archetype come alive, works as our female lead. On top of having great chemistry with Cera, she proves to be more than a damsel in distress. In fact, some of the best action sequences in the film involve her showing off her impressive fight moves. Each of the Seven Evil Exes is memorable in its own way, clearly having fun playing such over-the-top villains. There’s also Mark Webber, Alison Pill, and Johnny Simmons, who are also fun as Scott’s bandmates and friends. Even the minor supporting characters have their moments to shine, including Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, and Brie Larson. The soundtrack perfectly complements the video game/punk rock aesthetic, the visuals are spectacular, and it’s a moving story. Overall, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is almost the definition of a modern-day cult film.
Buy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3cvjOrC
