Scott Pilgrim vs The World - Movie Review

While I have only in the past couple of years started to seriously look at and analyze media, I have been watching films and TV, as well as play video games, with great fan passion since I was in early high school. From this day it's been over a decade since I started passion for digital media and I'm still going strong with it because the world is fast advancing towards more and more to a pure digital age. Some people, especially to older generations (don't take this as an offense), will need to learn to adjust to these times and integrate themselves with younger generations if they're going to keep stable relationships with them. Which leads us to this week's film, which just yesterday celebrated its 10-year anniversary: Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

The story takes place in the mysterious land of Toronto, Canada, where we follow Scott Pilgrim, a 22-year old dropout who plays bass for the small band, Sex Bob-Ombs. He also is dating a high school student names Knives Chau, but soon after tell people about this he meets a girl named Ramona Flowers and falls head over heels for her. But in order to date Ramona he not only has to dumb Knives, but also has to defeat Ramona's previous exes, who have joined together to form the "League of Evil Exes." So begins to quest full of all things nerd and video game related in order to win the right to date Ramona Flowers!

This movie is live-action adaptation of the comics of the same name and to some people it's one of the best movies ever. I don't see that, I definitely have my problems with this movie. However that's not to say I don't like this movie. Far from it, I love Scott Pilgrim vs the World. I love it a lot! It is the perfect film for people like me, gamers and nerds. Not just that but this film was directed by Edgar Wright, one of my favorite directors working today, so I know it's going to have well shot and exciting action, great humor, and utterly fantastic editing. This film has all that, plus a ton of well-placed video game references and elements, making this film always enjoyable to watch.

Saying that though I talk about my first problem with the movie: the protagonist, Scott Pilgrim. I don't think he's a very good character. I'm not referring to the fact he's kind of a loser and oblivious, nor that he whines, complains, or is a wuss who juggles relationships and isn't very honest with others or himself. Those are character flaws that can be overcome with their journey. For instance, at the start of Star Wars: A New Hope, Luke is just a young adult doing young adult things and people complain that he is also whiny and annoying, like when he wants to go to the Tashi station and pick up some power converters. But then his adoptive parents are burned alive by the Empire and he starts to change throughout that film and the films afterwards into somebody better. That's a character arc.

No, my problem with Scott Pilgrim as a character is that he's boring and doesn't have much of a defining character. At least in the film, I haven't read the comics so I can't compare the two. I often view him as a template that we the audience can personify our desire to get a romantic partner and kick evil butt. Maybe it's Michael Cera's performance, but I just don't see much of a defined character for Scott, especially when it feels like he's being more forced down the story than him actually choosing things. That, with a lack of a backstory, doesn't give me at least a sense of interest for him. Saying that though... he does kick ass and that's pretty damn awesome.

As I said before, this film was directed by Edgar Wright, who in the past as made films like Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver, The World's End, and Antman (as a writer and producer). The guy knows action and how to make it exciting and we get that from him in this film. Not just regular action like in an MCU film, but heart-pounding, eye-bulging, breath-holding intense action! The first fight the League with Matthew Patel always fills me with adrenaline because Michael Cera and Satya Bhabha are really fighting and showing emotion while they do! Not their stunt double (though there are some in this movie), but their real selves in that moment. And that's just the first fight! We get more and more as the story goes on and it's just really incredible how fun they are!

Now to make a good fight though you need good editing. It doesn't matter what expert fighters you bring along or how intense the fights get, if you can't capture the fights well and/or include elements such as "Shaky Camera," then the fight will suck. Again this is Edgar Wright so we don't get that here. We got wide shots, excellent cutting, and impact to the hits that are enhanced with special effects. Probably my favorite fight in the whole movie is when Scott fights the second evil ex, Lucas Lee (portrayed by Captain America himself, Chris Evans). There's a lot of excellent edit between Cera and his stunt double as he fights Lucas Lee's (not Chris Evan's) own stunt doubles. The intensity is so great and all show so well!

This well-done editing also greatly improves the comedy throughout the film. There's one moment where Knives, after Scott breaks up with her, comes to visit Scott to see what's up. Just as she opens the door and Scott's roommate, Wallace, answers it, Scott jumps through the small upper window in his basement apartment and just after he does Wallace tells Knives that Scott is out. It's perfect comedic timing! The way it's shot so damn good and that's just one moment. There are so many others I can also mention, but it take all day and I haven't even gotten to the video game elements of the movie.

Now I do have another problem with the movie, but I feel like this one isn't as serious because it's something that would be very hard to accomplish. When the film was being made the comic was not yet completed. That is a problem. Just look at Game of Thrones. And similar to Game of Thrones the story eventually started to feel condensed because there was already so much before it and it was getting close to the end and the team behind the film had to wrap it up. Basically as the film goes on the members of the League of Evil Exes, after Lucas Lee, slowly get less and less screen time and character development until the final bad guy, Gideon Graves. Thankfully though unlike Game of Thrones it wasn't an utter disaster and had actually competent people making it.

Alright, back to positives. I can't hold it back any longer, I got to talk about the video game elements of the movie. Now we have had movies with video game elements before like Ready Player One, but unlike that movie that just feels like a bunch of properties thrown into a blender without a care, Scott Pilgrim uses its video game elements to enhance what the movie already has. Examples include a pee meter that appears on the screen and drains when Scott goes the bathroom, enemies bursting into coins when killed/ defeated, the band name is Sex Bob-Ombs (referencing the enemies/ item from Super Mario Bros), guitar/ rhythm battles, and so much more! When the movie was being made there must have been research done to put in the right amount of video game references and put them in at the right moments.

After that we got actors. There's a lot of notable actors in this film: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead ,Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Brandon Routh, Anna Kendrick, and Mae Whitman to name a few. They all put on great performances, like I can see they're really enjoying their roles and getting into the silly, yet serious feel of the film. They all feel memorable with their moments, no matter how small, from Young Niel's introduction to saying he likes to play Legend of Zelda to Wallace Wells being really gay and stealing boyfriend's away with his sexiness. Yes there's sex (not shown, but implied), but it feels right in this film because it's kind of journey of a childish man becoming a more responsible man. But yeah, the characters... They're not too serious, not too silly, they got that charm to them that makes them very likeable to the audience.

Now I wouldn't refer to Scott Pilgrim vs the World as a guide to learning how to date people. Absolutely never. But one thing that the film, at least to me, does it show that relationships, whether they're romantic or platonic and especially the ones you want to last, are about respect. Not just to others, but also yourself. We see Scott Pilgrim eventually realize this as he fights the evil exes and learns a few things the hard way. But more importantly the movie to me taught me that you got to fight for what you believe in, whether it's love or respect or your morals. Doesn't have to be punching people, it could just be standing up for yourself. Whatever the case, I just think it's a great lesson that the film shows.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World is epic. It's not a super dramatic film, it's just a really fun one that shouldn't be looked at seriously. It sadly didn't do too well when it first came out in theaters, but since then it's developed a strong cult following. And no wonder, it's insanely fun with lots of well-known actors and incredible action! It's got that right amount of charm to it that makes the film memorable to a lot of people!

Tentative Score: 8.5/10

Definitive Score: 8.75/10

I remembered I got the DVD for this movie long ago. I wonder where it went...