Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy

Running Time: 112 mins.

In Theatres: August 13, 2010

Directed by: Edgar Wright

“We are Sex Bob-Omb! And we’re here to watch Scott Pilgrim kick your teeth
in!” This quote from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World sums up the essence of the story. A film
based on a graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Mally, Scott Pilgrim was released on
Blu-ray and DVD in November of this year. Geek culture, such as video gaming, comic
books and punk rock are all incorporated into this kick-ass movie. The film takes place in
Toronto, Canada where Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera, the bass player for Sex Bob-Omb),
meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who is quite literally the girl of his
dreams. With this new love interest comes a challenge for our hero: in order to win over
Ramona, Scott must defeat her seven evil exes.

Each battle erupts as an arcade-style duel, with the opponents able to leap through the air,
kick harder and punch faster than any normal teenager. The pacing reflects the reading
style of a comic book, sticking true to its roots. Even viewers who haven’t read the
graphic novels will detect Scott Pilgrim’s obvious comic panel origins.

Would this be considered a cult classic? From the start of the film, when the 8-bit
Universal logo appears on the screen with the monotone sounds, I was intrigued. On
my third viewing, I was accompanied by my mother and grandparents, none of whom
seemed to grasp the movie’s geek-culture hilarity. At times, I found myself laughing
as they stared blankly, indicating that this film is largely intended for the video-gaming
generation.

I would also venture to say that Scott Pilgrim is about more than just comic books and
video games. In the end it is a love story. As Scott moves through exes, eventually
kicking each opponent’s ass, we get to know more and more about his mysterious
Ramona. The evil exes seem to represent a piece of Ramona’s past, each a brick in the
wall built securely around her. With every punch and every battle, Scott gets closer to
breaking down that metaphorical wall.

Director Edgar Wright uses video gaming lingo and comic book techniques in order to
touch upon universal themes of love, loneliness, and alienation, without ever letting the
movie take itself too seriously.

The writing in this film is absolutely brilliant. As it is clever and witty, I found myself
smiling and laughing at almost every line of dialogue, so hats off to Edgar Wright and
Michael Bacall, Scott Pilgrim’s two credited writers. They bring you into a story that
relies mostly on action but has the support of great dialogue, without which the film
would have surely suffered.

If you’re in the mood for something fun, light and downright refreshing, I would
recommend going out and grabbing (or ordering in) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. This film
deserves to be recognized, not only for its originality, but also for its ability to hone in on
elements that makes the twenty-something generation stand out.

-Krysten Klekotka