Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Movie Review …

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Oni Press comic book of the same name, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World that follows one man’s quest through video game style battles for one woman’s heart. Twenty-two-year-old slacker/rocker Scott Pilgrim(Michael Cera) may not have a job, but rocking the bass guitar for his band, Sex Bob-omb, is a tough job unto itself.

When Scott locks eyes with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he knows she’s the love of his life, and all he wants is to grow old with her. But Ramona has some serious baggage; her supercharged exes rue the thought of her being with another man, and they’ll crush any guy who gives her a second glance. Now, in order to win Ramona’s heart, Scott must do battle with her 7 evil exes from vegan-powered rock gods to sinister skateboarders, but he never losing sight of his gorgeous goal as he pummels his way to victory.

Of course the film doesn’t sound like much, but when it is directed and co-written by Edgar Wright, best known for his brilliant films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, you know you are in for a treat. And despite the highest expectations, Edgar accomplishes something great with Scott Pilgrim versus the World. First of all, this is one of the funniest films I have seen in a love time that is elevated by its fantastic comedic performance, and its hilarious fast paced script.

Simply the premise of the movie alone is enough to entertain for the complete 113 minute run time of the film, but then you have the next great action star of the 21st century, Michael Cera. That’s right, I said it. It seemed like Michael Cera was hooked up to the Matrix like Nero and suddenly, and without prior knowledge, knows Kung Fu. This of course builds up towards the climax of the film where Scott Pilgrim has to fight the 7th evil ex, Gideon Graves, played by Jason Schwartzman. So basically what we have is a film that has the ultimate scrawny nerd fight of all time between Michael Cera and Jason Schwartzman.

But if one were to point out the single aspect that makes this a great film, it would have to be the stylistic special effects that elevate the entire film. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has a strong, visual video game style that is unlike any other movie I have ever seen. The style is basically cartoonish once the film starts by having health bars appear during fights, points add up for each contestant throughout the movie, and when Pilgrim defeats an evil ex, they magically turn into coins. When someone gets punched, more often than not Scott Pilgrim, they go flying through the air, and when someone falls in love, magical hearts appear out of nowhere. It’s in your face, it’s hilarious, and it’s amazingly original.

It’s a well known fact that a superhero is only as great as his or her villain, and in the case of Scott Pilgrim, his villains are over the top, have insane superpowers, and are willing to fight to the death for the lovely Ramona. These evil exes, specifically not evil ex-boyfriends, range from pyrotechnic Bollywood dancer to butch punk rock lesbian, but the two stand out villains are the two veteran superhero actors Brandon Routh and Chris Evans. Brandon Routh, best known for his role as Superman, plays the evil vegan Todd Ingram, who is Scott’s rival bass player, who has gained telepathic powers from being a high levelled vegan.

Then on the other hand, we have Chris Evans, known for being the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four and soon to be Captain America, who is Lucas Lee who is the toughest Hollywood action star in the world. He doesn’t have any superpowers, but Scott Pilgrim has to battle through his stuntman body doubles to get a chance at fighting Chris Evan’s character. Although each ex is only in the film for a couple short scenes, each ex makes the movie into what it is and as Scott battles through the exes, his love for Ramona grows, but more importantly, his morality and kindness grows throughout the film making him a strong dynamic character.

Scott Pilgrim ver. The World is one of the most unique films of the year, and it is probably one of my favourite movies of all time. Stylistically, there is almost nothing out there that can compare to this film. It is over the top with a mash up of comic books, video games, and punk rock music, and director Edgar Wright has really hit the nail on the head with this comic book adaptation.

As a comic book fan, I have to admit that I am incredibly happy that the comic book industry is having so much success in Hollywood because like most comic book fans, I was constantly told of the lack of literary value behind comics, despite a degree in English literature, and now it seems that originality has dried up in the movie business, which has made studios turn to comic books for inspiration. Although not every comic is adapted successfully, the team behind Scott Pilgrim vs. The World made a fantastic film that is suitable for the entire family. This is definitely not a film to miss.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Movie Trailer

Let’s say I had a strong sensation of a “deja vu”, when seeing this movie, Year One.

Jack Black and Michael Cera or, as they appear in the movie, Zed and Oh, are two not very bright primitive people who get banished from thei village after Zed bites the forbidden fruit. Yes, it sounds familiar, right? Right. We’ll meet a lot of other “famous” people for anyone who’s bothered read the Bible and find out about the events back then. We witness the murder of Abel, see Sodoma and Gomora, find out about the first circumcision.

Even if the comedy doesn’t make you laugh as others used to (I do believe people seem to have lost their humor, or maybe I’m the one who’s getting old, who knows), it does have it’s charm. There were scenes that were very funny, especially if you knew what to expect.

So, even if this won’t ever be in my top 5 comedy list, I do believe it’s worth a shot. Please let me know how if you liked it