Simply Awesome

Rating: 10/10 (17 August 2010)

While I realize that this movie is not for everyone, I cannot think of a more inventive, unique, heartfelt, and fun movie I have seen in theaters recently. To me, the movie is more than just a spectacle. Sure, the special effects are amazing, the fight scenes awesome, and the visual style extremely entertaining. To the contrary of what many critics are saying, I thought the movie worked great on an emotional level as well. Scott Pilgrim is completely relatable to anyone unsure of where their life is headed, and every teenage boy understands his plight. He's played to perfection by Michael Cera as an unconventional hero, one who is sometimes a jerk, but nevertheless wants to do the right thing. The contrast of this realistic character with the ridiculous world which he inhabits keeps the movie grounded, even when an Indian scenester is performing a Bollywood dance number for no discernible reason.
Don't get me wrong: the movie is completely insane, but in a wonderful, devil-may-care sort of way, rather than feeling like a carefully calculated marketing ploy. The crazy fight scenes could have gotten tired by the end, and the movie could have been an exhausting experience. Instead, every fight scene is filmed with a sense of child-like wonder, making the movie feel uplifting and energizing rather than it pounding the audience into submission. The complete lack of rules and the possibility of anything happening keeps these scenes entertaining throughout the entire movie.
I also find this movie beautiful in a way like no other. Of course, from a visual standpoint the special effects are top notch, and the scenes well shot. But it is also beautiful for other reasons. The ethereal moments such as when Scott dreams about Ramona roller blading to his door, the awesome soundtrack/score which perfectly accentuates the different moods in the movie, and the contrast of a simple, almost naive love story amongst the craziness all compound to make it an almost transcendent experience.
To me, this movie works on all levels: emotional, visual, and even spiritual. But above all, its original. It saddens me that the American movie-going public has mostly ignored this movie, choosing instead to view mindless garbage such as The Expendables and Eat, Pray, Love. After viewing the movie 2 times, I still love it, and think a lot of other people would too if they just gave it a chance. So do yourself a favor and go see this movie. Even if you don't love it as much as me, you won't see another movie like this for a long time.