One of the best video game movies ever made... and it's based on a graphic novel!

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2010)

For starters, I'll say that I have read the first few graphic novels in the Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley and had seen a couple of trailers, so I thought that I had some idea what to expect as I went to a pre-release screening in Omaha. Still, my expectations were blown away. To bring such content to the big screen from a graphic novel is always a challenge, and with the content being so video-game centric, perhaps even more so. However, Edgar Wright clearly overcame the challenge with great casting, good pacing, and what I can only call appropriate special effects.
From the appearance of the Universal logo and music at the beginning all the way to the end (well, the start of the credits, at least), I found the movie an incredibly fun experience, with many laughs at sight gags, one-liners, and the random geekery that the people who made the film obviously knew that their target audience would be looking for. Additionally, a good soundtrack surrounds much of the on-screen action.
I know that there are people who just think that Michael Cera is the worst thing since unsliced bread, and these are people who should clearly avoid this film for the sole reason that it contains Michael Cera. I think he works well in this role. There are times where the actor can make or break a film, but I don't see Cera breaking this film.
Scott Pilgrim probably won't be breaking any box office records, but I'd like to think that word of mouth can help this film get the attention it deserves from the audiences that would most appreciate it, which would be those who enjoy classic video game culture and the interesting characters in this film who live in a world which many a Nintendo Power subscriber could only dream of.
Just don't go in thinking you're going to see Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, as you'll likely be disappointed. This is a very different film, but I would say that it's trying to have as much fun as either of Wright's other two most popular films.