The Film Buzz Rating: 
(9.5/10)
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a heart-warmingly funny love story, but it’s unlike any other you’ve seen before. All the main elements are there: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy has to fight the girls’ seven evil ex’s to be able to date her, wait… what?
Based on the cult six volume comic by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is Shaun of the Dead director, Edgar Wrights’ most imaginative and visually delightful offering to date.
The Plot
Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a 22-year old jobless layabout barely passing off as a bassist for the utterly abysmal Toronto 3-piece grunge band “Sex Bob-Omb” (Super Mario reference anyone?). Quite happy to share an apartment (and bed) with his gay best friend (played by a scene stealing Keiran Culkin), Scott attempts to deal with his painful year old break up by dating high school girl, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong).
It isn’t long however, before Scott falls for the mysterious Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the new Amazon.ca delivery girl from New York; and that’s when things start to get a little crazy.
No sooner does Scott court the young lady, and her first evil ex-boyfriend crashes through the ceiling during the Battle of the Bands, challenging Scott to a showdown.
Scott soon learns that in order to be able to date the illusive Ramona Flowers, he must first defeat the League of Evil Ex’s; a group comprising of seven of Ramona’s past partners put together by her most recent and evil of ex’s, Gideon Gordon Graves (Jason Schwartzman).
What follows is a non-stop riot of comic humour, quirky characters, and brilliantly inventive fight scenes between Scott and his new nemeses. But the question is, can he defeat them all and win the right to date the captivating Miss Flowers?
The Thoughts
Being a huge fan of the comics, I had doubts at how O’Malley’s masterpiece could possibly be visually represented on the big screen. I feared that the bizarre humour which I had come to love so much, and gaming references (there are plenty of those) would be lost in the transition from page to screen. There’s always an element of risk involved when adapting any book for cinema, but somehow it felt increased when it came to Scott Pilgrim.
Needless to say, my fears were laid to rest in the opening moments of the film when I saw a tacky looking, old game style blocky graphic of the Universal logo spinning around accompanied by midi music. After that it just got better.
Michael Cera played Scott Pilgrim wonderfully. Although he looks completely different to the illustrated Scott, his comic timing is impeccable; and the bumbling, confused, post teen acting he does so well is perfect for the role. More impressive though, is his quick change to ‘fighting-mode’ when in battle. If you’ve seen Youth in Revolt, you’ll know this kid can do more than act nervous.
Most of the other cast members both looked and acted like their comic counter-parts. The most standout for me were Wallace Wells (Keiran Kulkin), Julie Powers (Aubrey Plaza) and evil ex Todd Ingram (played by the latest ‘Superman’ Brandon Routh).
What blew me away was the choreography of the fights, and the soundtrack. Music is integral to the Scott Pilgrim comics, with many character names taken from songs or in reference to artists. O’Malley even gives the reader words and chords for some of the songs. To see and hear Sex Bob-Omb, and the other fictional bands, actually play on stage is true indulgence.
With regards to the fight scenes… well… I think ‘epic’ is the only word I can use to do it justice. How else do you describe a fight against a floating fire wielding Indian dude? Or a bass playing vegan with super powers?
In the comics, a fight lasts only a page or two; but Edgar Wright used the screen as a playground to transform those few pages into colourful, visual treats of awesome ass-kicking.
The entire film in fact is a perfect example of how cinema can help to enhance the reading experience. It’s something other directors should look to learn from. Don’t adapt for the sake of adapting… but bring something new to the table. Show the viewer the world they wish to explore whilst staying true to the source material.
Of course things had to be altered, how else do you fit 6 graphic novels into 115 minutes? But I am happy to report that even the changes were not disappointing. I gladly welcomed the longer fight scenes in place of the somewhat confusing storyline of the 6th book. Whatever changes were made were done so for the good of the film, and hopefully it will get more people to read the comics and be able to appreciate both stories.
You don’t have to be a fan of video games and comic books to watch this film. Don’t get me wrong, being a geek will certainly help you to appreciate it more; but anyone can enjoy it, whether you’ve read the comics or not. In fact, when I saw it with friends, only two of us had read the comics, and all five of us loved it.
Die-hard fans of books maybe disappointed at the loss of depth or lack screen time of supporting characters, but how much can you fit in to just under two hours? In the case of Scott Pilgrim, allowances should be made.
People keep talking about wanting ‘fresh’ and ‘innovative’ ideas to change cinema. They crave something truly original and never-before-seen. Scott Pilgrim will certainly give them that.
In a time when every book or comic is being turned into a film for the sake of it, Edgar Wright shows that with a lot of passion, and the right cast, there is still a reason to go to the cinema and be surprised.
The Film Buzz Rating: (9.5/10)
UK Release Date: 25th August, 2010.
Director: Edgar Wright
Writer’s: Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright. Bryan Lee O’Malley (comic).
