Unless you’ve tripped on acid, it’s safe to say you have never seen a movie quite like Edgar Wright’s 2010 enigma, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” The film, based on the graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley, takes place “not so long ago in the mysterious land of Toronto” and is told in an unorthodox comic book/video game style manner, marginally similar to Frank Miller’s “Sin City,”
possessing popup character identification’s, in-game statistics and adjectives punctuated by superimposed onomatopoeic identifiers reminiscent of the 1960’s ‘Batman’ TV series.
The special effects are breathtaking, some of the best you’ll see in a movie, and unique in that the characters are depicted as playing out scenes in a video game. And the soundtrack fits perfectly, sounding like the popular music of the early 2000’s garage style bands, great for gamers and fans of music alike.
The plot of the movie is as outlandish as any plot to a comic book or video game could be. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a 22-year-old bass player in the fledgling rock band ‘Sex Bob-Omb’ and is not a typical stud rocker in that he is dating (but not sleeping or even making out with) a seventeen year old high school student, gets bossed around by his younger sister, and literally shares a bed with his gay roommate.
Scott eventually falls for a quirky emo-style delivery girl with colored hair and rollerblades named Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and quickly discovers that he must do battle with (and defeat) her 7 evil-exes (an assortment of miscreant characters, portrayed by Jason Schwartzman, Chris Evans, and Parenthood’s Mae Whitman to name a few) in arcade style clashes in the mold of Mortal Kombat, Double Dragon and Guitar Hero.
Each evil-ex possesses superior superhuman strength and abilities and the outmatched Scott must find unique ways to defeat them in order to continue in the game that is dating Ramona.
The thoroughly bizarre and highly entertaining battle scenes are dispersed amongst the story lines of Scott’s band competing in a ‘Battle of the Bands’ contest and the genuine love interest and feelings he is developing for Ramona.
The cast is tasked with acting in the unique roles of video game style characters like something out of Japanese Anime, while maintaining humor and garnering feelings from the viewers.
If you need a timid and feeble nerd, Michael Cera is the man to call. His flawless acting in “Superbad,” “Juno,” and “Year One” make him the perfect choice for the titular role of Scott Pilgrim.
The beautiful Mary Elizabeth Winstead has made her short career starring in low budget horror films like “Final Destination 3,” “Black Christmas,” and “The Thing” but pulls of the role of Ramona Flowers with terrific ease.
Allison Pill and Mark Weber form the rest of the band as Kim and Stephen. Kieran Culkin (brother of Macaulay) plays Wallace Wells, Scott’s gay roommate. Cutie Ellen Wong is the ‘Sex Bob-Omb’ (and specifically Scott’s) teenage groupie, and the stunningly gorgeous Anna Kendrick portrays Scott’s bossy sister Stacey.
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is well worth the investment of watching, if not for the action and laughs but the sheer uniqueness and one-of-a-kind style of the story.
– by Matt Christopher
