Colorful, comic & extraordinary; Cera & Winstead make unlikely lovers lovable

Rating: 8/10 (30 August 2010)

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010) *** Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Mae Whitman, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Keita Saitou, Shota Saito, (Voice: Bill Hader; Cameos: Thomas Jane, Clifton Collins Jr.) Edgar Wright's groovy adaptation of the graphic novel by Bryan Lee O'Malley (co-scripted by Wright and Michael Bacall with lots of savvy and smarts to spare) about a self-involved slacker cum wanna-be rock-star (Cera at his most winning sad-sack best as the titular anti-hero) who goes ga-ga for It Girl, Ramona Flowers (babe-licious Winstead with Day-Glo wigs for each mood), but must face her 'seven evil exes' in fights-to-the-death ala video game duels. Fast-paced and at times too-full-of-itself with its quirky graphics and cartoonisms (sound effects and "Batman" TV show-like titles popping up every so often) yet has its own irresistible charms (i.e. fine chemistry between its unlikely paramours and some great inside villains – genius casting "Superman" Routh as a vegan powered 'ex' and Schwartzman epitomizes the term 'rat bastard'). Colorful, comic and extraordinary.