There's never been a movie quite like Scott Pilgrim before... and there may be a reason for that

Rating: 6/10 (4 August 2010)

Scott Pilgrim is a normal boy living in Toronto, recovering from a devastating breakup by bouncing off of a high school Chinese girl, when suddenly he becomes captivated by the newbie in town, Ramona Flowers. However, after he suddenly discovers the league of seven evil exes set on controlling Ramona's future, their love lives become tangled, convoluted, and everything gets messy.
The first thing you'll notice in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is its incredibly unique style. There's never exactly been a movie like this in the past, and with a visionary like Edgar Wright at the helm, that is nothing to be ashamed of. The movie is entirely based off of the "Scott Pilgrim" graphic novel series; but wherein this is the film's greatest feature, it is also its greatest weakness. It's based off the comics- you can tell. And not necessarily in a good way.
Edgar Wright has achieved a fantastic way to bring a comic book to life. If you've really been searching for a live-action, 3D, moving version of a comic book then you'll want to pat him on the back. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World gets as close to bringing the "graphic novel" style to the big screen as Speed Racer was in successfully bringing the "anime" style to the theaters, which in my opinion is pretty darn close. Scott Pilgrim fans will get a kick out of this one; the film pays homage to the graphic novel in more ways than one. The problem is, you're fitting multiple volumes of this series into a 112 minute movie. The characterization is rushed, the relationships are sorely underdeveloped, a load of character history is barely (if even) explained, and you can't shake the "there's-more-to-this-story-than-they're-telling-us" feeling that only the hardcore Pilgrim fans are probably exempt from.
The acting was solid, the humor was definitely a strong point, but the tendency for the storyline to feel rushed often got in the way of fully enjoying this movie. All-in-all, it WAS a fun flick to say the least; it just wasn't all there.
If you're looking for another round of Michael Cera jokes and an intriguing comic book-style, then by all means check this one out. If that doesn't float your boat, then don't bother. Although style is a strong suit here, sometimes it teeters on the brink of being bizarre and immature. Re-watch the trailer- that will be enough "style" to suffice for one night.
6/10