Scott Pilgrim rocks the world!

Rating: 9/10 (2 September 2010)

Scott Pilgrim vs the World is similar to Kick-Ass with references to the comic book world and the pacing and tone of the film where it takes you by the balls and goes on one heck of a roller-coaster ride and blows off any expectations you have of it. No doubt with the sequel of Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall (A brilliant title if I might add) will produce the same hopefully. The one difference between Scott Pilgrim and Kick-Ass is that Pilgrim is more tame and not as violent and crude. But it is still excellent.
Scott Pilgrim vs the world won't be to everyone's taste as I found out when I took my fifty year old father to see it with me. Director Edgar Wright previously responsible for the hilarious Hot Fuzz with Simon Pegg and Shaun of the Dead (though I've never seen it). I believe he has specifically targeted a younger audience with this movie. It's highly unlikely (though not impossible) that anyone over thirty will enjoy it. And even then there are those who wouldn't enjoy this film as it won't be everyone's cup of tea, which is fair enough. But I did love this.
From the start it's clear to me that Wright goes for a more visual and style movie more than substance, but this isn't a bad thing. Comic strip words fly across the scene at different angles and speeds and makes the experience more vibrant. With that coming with the excellent action sequences makes it even more exhilarating. It's wacky, nuts and over the top, but it's so much fun, it left me on a buzz, Through the comic element of the film comes numerous references to the pop and rock culture and old computer video games. But also it's hilariously funny. Thanks to a good script, which has moments of wit. The comic timing with Micheal Cera as Scott and particularly his gay roommate Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin) is perfect, which brings me onto the acting. Micheal Cera makes a capable enough lead and he has a certain charm for the character. He even looks impressive when fighting Romana's evil ex's, but for some reason I couldn't help thinking he looked more fifteen than twenty two. The other actor who I really liked was Kieran Culkin. He gave for me the most and best laughs and Ellen Wong as Knives Chau who plays Scott's first girlfriend before he meets Romana was entertaining to watch.
Initially some of the problems I had with this film and stopped short of giving it a ten for a start is Mary Elizabeth Winstead who played Romana, she was okay, but I just didn't like her performance much and she looked bored for most of this. Another problem is the lack of character development. I could never really believe that Scott really loved Romana. There isn't really much chemistry between them and the film fails to have an heart or charm when it comes to their relationship. I could see in a couple of moments between them that the movie tries to be touching, but it fails and just comes across as shallow. However they do look cute together so at least that is something. The story also is quite predictable where Scott has to defeat Romana's seven evil ex's in order to win her heart.
However I'm not going to put this down to much as I generally loved it overall. So much so I had the biggest grin on my face afterwards and it stayed on my face for so long I began to wonder if I would ever be able to change my facial expression. In the end Scott Pilgrim rocked my world and if your under thirty and want to see something wacky or have a fondness for the comic strip genre. You will love this. Scott Pilgrim vs the World is one of the most refreshing and original films to come out this year. An exhilarating blast.