Have things been stale at the box office for you this summer? Do you want to see something unique and different? Well look no further, because Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the action comedy that can breathe life back into your stale movie world. Not having ever read the comics, this movie was still a bundle of joy wrapped up in the best 114 minutes of this summer’s movie time. For those that still remain skeptical let me share this with you, the film is directed by Edgar Wright, the same guy that brought us Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. So if you want a good time check out Scott Pilgrim and the rest of this review after the jump.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World I’ll give you a little background information so you can understand the greatness that is this movie. The film is based off a series of comics written by Bryan Lee O’Malley and manages to faithfully incorporate much of the comic book content into it. While much of the visual design comes from the mind of director Edgar Wright, some of the scenes seen on screen are actually identical in look and feel to the pictures in the comics, which is why fans of the comics are going nuts right now.
The story takes place in Toronto, Canada where Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), a 22 year old bass guitarist for the band “Sex Bob-Omb,” who is currently dating a high school girl named Knives Chau when we first meet him. While very proud of this, he eventually sees this girl named Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and falls instantly in love. Once they start dating, Scott receives an email about an upcoming battle in which he must defeat Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha), Ramona’s first evil ex boyfriend. It is then that he is notified that in order to continue dating Ramona, he must defeat and kill all seven evil ex boyfriends from the League of Evil Exes. The league includes actors Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Shota Saito, Keita Saito, Jason Schwartzman, Mae Whitman, and the aforementioned Satya Bhabha. Each ex has a special power as well which makes the battles that much more entertaining and intense.
I had a great time watching this movie and if there’s even a hint of geekiness inside your body you’ll love it too. What will make you enjoy this even more is if you are able understand the video game references used within. One example would be the opening Universal credits, the globe and music was all 8-bit, giving you that early 90s gamer feel to it. There are a bunch of little references throughout the film that are bound to give you a chuckle if you can pick them up, but other than that just let yourself loose and enjoy the movie for what it is.
Anyway, what really impressed me about Scott Pilgrim was the extensive editing and some of the special effects that were used throughout the film. The film must have been shot in 30 second intervals because shots were changing every few seconds to give you the feeling like you were in a video game and a comic book at the same time. The movie moved as quickly as a Super Mario bonus level while retaining its many unique comedic elements. What’s great is that the speed actually added to some of the comedy which isn’t something you see too often
Additionally, the fact that this was a love story impressed me even more because I kept forgetting that it was a love story when I was watching it. I’m not one for head over heels love stories because it usually slows a film down and makes it really boring. Well that wasn’t the case with this Scotty P, I found this to be the most entertaining love story I have ever seen (but I’m probably one of the few that feels this way). Most likely this is a result of the great script and witty humor used throughout the film.
In terms of the acting, I thought Michael Cera was excellent. He honestly was the perfect choice for Scott, and this is big compliment coming from someone who doesn’t like Cera since he’s always type casted. Mary Elizabeth Winstead was very cool and collected as Scott’s love interest, Ramona, while Anna Kendrick did a decent job as Scott’s uptight and concerned sister. I was happy with the performances of all of the evil exes, especially Chris Evans’ over the top portrayal of an action movie star, as well as the rest of the members of Scott’s band, Sex Bob-Omb.
I’m not even going to talk about negative aspects of the film because to me, there weren’t really any down points or aspects that I didn’t like. The acting was intentionally over the top, the effects were flawless, the pace was amazing, and the directing was superb. So get off your ass and go check out one of the most enjoyable action comedies of the summer!
Rating: An epic, fun and fast paced geeky action comedy
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