Visually striking and fun to boot

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2011)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a stylistic smorgasbord that draws inspiration from a few key genres and pop culture elements, most specifically video games and music. I have heard it described in one corner as parody, but that I would say is incorrect. It is more a love letter to its influences, albeit with a comic bent, for certain. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is an entertaining film that will play well to a certain segment of the population, and, unfortunately, at the box office it seemed that segment was smaller than many wished.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is based off a series of comics written by Brian Lee O'Malley. I am unfamiliar with the source material, so I can't comment on the faithfulness to them. The centerpiece is young Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), who is playing in a band named Sex Bob-Omb and has recently started dating a younger girl named Knives Chou (Ellen Wong). Into Scott's life falls Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a girl with constantly shifting hair color (she claims it changes every week and half) who Scott encounters in dreams before she turns out to be very corporeal and not just a figment of Scott's imagining. Scott, smitten, begins a relationship with her, but quickly finds that Ramona has some significant baggage: a group of 7 evil exes (don't just say ex- boyfriends, by the way) who have joined forces to fight against Scott in an attempt to reclaim Ramona for themselves. Scott, while not enamored of the concept, does his best to step up to plate as he wants to keep Ramona to himself.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World lives in a very fantasy reality that closely resembles our own. At first, it just looks like an everyday city with drama that most of us can relate to. It doesn't take long before we realize that things are not exactly as they are in our world. Dreams turn into reality, and then evil exes swoop out of the sky and challenge Scott to a duel, involving lots of martial arts fighting, flying, and comic book style expressions of action (the words POW and BANG float into view when someone fights or something crashes, for instance) and as Scott faces off with his opponents, a visual score tally appears, complete with video game sounds. So, if realism is what you seek, then it would be best to pass on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. If, however, you enjoy video games and comic books, then Scott Pilgrim might be your speed.
Director and co-writer Edgar Wright, who previously brought us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, keeps his tongue firmly in his cheek with Scott Pilgrim. It is obviously not designed to take seriously, but it also wouldn't be fair to classify it an out and out comedy. It has its share of laughs, to be sure, but also is awash in visually striking, well choreographed fight sequences that rival such films as The Matrix in their energy and style. Its look is also heavily stylized, filled with obvious references to comic books without going to same degree as Ang Lee did with his take on the Hulk, which featured panels around the scenes in many cases.
What makes Scott Pilgrim even more rewarding is that, for the most part, we identify and are taken in with its lead characters. Scott is a basically nice guy who seems a bit on the nerdy side, yet isn't without his flaws. Ramona seems a bit more jaded by life, and meeting Scott thaws her a bit from her rather troubled life up to this point. The dialogue between the two is lively and Cera and Winstead have an easy chemistry that works well.
Wright has managed to fill many of the supporting roles, especially some of the evil exes, with names that are not superstars, but recognizable players that all offer up amusing turns in their various roles. Chris Evans, Brandon Routh and Jason Schwartzman all are having fun with their roles, and there is also a degree of satire in each character in regards to their chosen career and lifestyle (actor, vegan musician, and indie rock promoter).
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is an entertaining film that didn't find its audience in the theater, but on video, it would not surprise me, especially considering who the film is targeted at, that it would eventually develop a cult following. Again, while I don't think Scott Pilgrim is everyone's cup of tea, if you have an affinity for what Scott Pilgrim draws from, and an ability to suspend disbelief, then I would say it is more than worth a look.