Movie Review: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"
Franck Tabouring
Seen on: July 26, 2010
The players: Director: Edgar Wright, Writers: Edgar Wright, Michael Bacall, Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Brandon Routh
Facts of interest: Wright also helmed "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead."
The plot: A guy (Michael Cera) must defeat his new girl's seven evil exes if he wants to date her.
Our thoughts: Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is one of the craziest big-screen experiences I’ve ever had, but I say that in a positive way. It’s an insanely cool and wildly entertaining ride that pulls you right into its colorful, wacky world, and it lets you be part of an explosive adventure stuffed with eccentric characters, solid action, decent humor and some awesome visuals. Let’s dive right into the game.
I say game because “Scott Pilgrim” is essentially an action video game playing itself onscreen. Words like “VS,” “kroww,” “whip,” “whud” and “swoosh” appear all over the place, and the plot is structured a bit like game with several levels the hero must complete in order to beat the biggest villain and take home the win. It all sounds like a nutty concept for a movie, but that’s exactly what it is: both weird and marvelous.
The hero here is Michael Cera, who plays Scott Pilgrim, a dude in a band who faces his ultimate challenge when he meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a chick with colorful hair. In order for the two to date, Scott first has to defeat her seven evil exes, and that proves to be quite the challenging task. On top of that, he also has to figure out a nice way to break up with his current girlfriend…
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” which is based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels, combines edgy humor and fast-paced action to offer cinemagoers a ride they won’t forget. It’s a film stuffed with originality in terms of style, and I can’t help but applaud Edgar Wright for taking big risks and execute his brilliant vision to create a thrilling flick that feels incredibly unconventional in terms of how it looks and feels.
As far as the story is concerned, don’t expect to be surprised much, even if you are not familiar with the source material. Cera’s character is a guy who has his faults and discovers who he really is during his battle with all those ruthless exes, and that’s about it. He rushes through them pretty fast, and there is not much time left to really develop the side characters. Not a big problem though… the film still rocks.
Most importantly, the fantastic visuals and loud action often overshadow the film’s few weak points, and Wright never gives you too much time to think, which is totally fine. The battles between Scott and Ramona’s past lovers are quick but intriguing enough, and the occasional dose of humor here and there pretty much works flawlessly as well. Especially Kieran Culkin as Scott’s buddy is simply brilliant.
This leads me to the film’s awesome cast. Ramona’s exes in particular are hilarious to watch, and I really enjoyed the performances of Brandon Routh, Chris Evans and Jason Schwartzman. Cera does a great job as ass-kicking Scott as well, and Winstead plays a convincingly mysterious Ramona. Ellen Wong, Brie Larson and Anna Kendrick round out the movie’s thoroughly refreshing cast.
Freaky quote: "Next time, we don't date the girl with eleven evil ex-boyfriends." - Anna Kendrick
The final word: Yes, I absolutely loved “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” and I encourage you all to check it out as well. Wright knows what he’s doing when it comes to crazy filmmaking, and this one shows yet again that he’s a guy who loves to embrace originality and use it to his advantage to create unique cinematic experiences. Let me put it this way: “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is one awesome ride…
Article by Franck Tabouring
Reader Comments (1)
Sounds like something I'll have to check out; this kind of movie is right up my alley. Thanks for the review.