Overyhyped, but will be loved by many

Rating: 5/10 (6 January 2011)

I love film. I watch many films, many genres, from the most experimental to the most formulaic. And good or bad, I always enjoy the experience, because most movies, whether they execute their ideas well or not, revolve around some aspect of the human experience. No matter how fantastical its world or characters might be, there are always anchors to reality; usually a theme central to the human experience: love, war, despair, happiness, depression, hopes and dreams, regret, etc.
I also love videogames for the experience that they offer. They are fun and engaging, and they can be a fun social experience in the right amount. And although narrative wise they usually don't offer much, that has been changing the past few years.
Why this introduction in a review? Because "Scott Pilgrim vs the World" offers none of what is great about film and none of what is great about gaming. It's like a video game you don't get to play. It is, in one word, boring. I actually had to turn it off the first time, because I was bored out of my mind. The second time I watched it in full, but I didn't enjoy it.
It is a technically well made movie and it has some solid acting, but not only is the script completely devoid of anything interesting, other than childish word play and the regular sarcastic jokes that are so overplayed these days, but it actually doesn't even has a finished story. There is nothing behind it and the characters are so limited in their interactions that they don't even feel like people. They feel like characters in a video game, but since I'm not playing it, I don't care what happens to them.
This is a flashy movie, that moves fast and will please a lot of(young) people, but that ultimately offers nothing to dwell on or appreciate.
I rarely give any move less than a 6 rating, but for sheer boredom and mind numbing action, I give this a 5, and only because I love Edgar Wright's earlier work and hope he will get back on track.