Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is another of Edgar Wright's visual feats that prove he is one of the most creative and detail-oriented filmmakers ever. This film, adapted from the comic books by Bryan Lee O'Malley, is also one of the most true-to-source-material films ever made. This movie has a weird but entertaining story, fantastic visual effects, and some of the best writing in comic book/comedy movies. It truly stands the test of time as a strange and fun movie fit for everyone.
This movie is a nonstop comedy and action thrill ride that would be very hard to disappoint die-hard fans and newcomers alike. The weird and quirky story in this film is very original and provides a look into the dating world of our lead hero Scott Pilgrim, played by Michael Cera. As he falls in love with Ramona Flowers, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, he learns that he has to defeat her seven evil exes in order to date her. While many details and reasons behind some actions are never explained in this film, I feel it is better to watch it with an open mind and realize that this movie is just pure comic bliss. All of the performances in this film were great and each character was lovable in their own right. I am sure that this entire cast had a blast while filming, and it seems like it was a lot of fun. The best aspect of this movie would definitely have to be the combination of Edgar Wright's signature wit and the comic book design. It was made to look like a real-life anime and accomplished this very effectively. The story and every single detail was straight from the original comic books and Wright did an incredible job of translating the story into an exciting film. Of course, this film had Wright's expected charm with its transitions and design choices. In many of the shots, there were quirky transitions used and text all around to make it feel like a comic book. And in many of the fight scenes, the cropped borders of the film would constantly fluctuate, adding that extra level of movement and amusement.
The special effects were utilized very well and there was a great balance between world-building and fighting spectacles. Color was another big part of the design and it added more and more interest as the film went on. Other great parts of this movie include the soundtrack and cameos. There was one song in particular that played multiple times throughout the film and it was the song that was written by Scott's band, Sex Bob-Omb, for their band battles. The lyrics of this song appear in the comic book across an entire page of panels and it was delightful to hear the song take an actual musical form for this film. The smaller roles in this movie were amazing too. While Cera and Winstead lead the pack, other appearances include Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Ellen Wong, and Kieran Culkin. And, of course, there were other cameos that are weird to see, especially since many of them have gone on to become mega-stars. Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Brie Larson, and Anna Kendrick were amazing and further prove how impressively assembled this cast is. My only problem with this film was the treatment of Ramona in the third act. After she had gone back to Gideon (played by Jason Schwartzman), she became a very submissive and different version of herself than we had seen in everything before. This strange character development was uncalled for and did not make sense in the overall context of it all. After learning that she had been physically micro-chipped by Gideon, I was a bit more understanding of the situation, but that doesn't change how they treated that character. Even though Scott is the main character, I desperately wanted Ramona to get more screen-time to develop instead of resorting to becoming the damsel in distress for means of furthering Scott's plot.
Overall, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a fun and amazing film that further flexes Wright's cinematic muscles. The cast, effects, and story were amazing, and even though certain characters could have been better written, it is still every bit of enjoyable since the first time I watched it.
My Rating: ★★★★
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