Scott Pilgrim vs The World: An Epic Review of Epic Epicness

At last, I got to see Scott Pilgrim vs The World! I only say "at last" because in a normal world, I would've been at the midnight show. Probably would've seen it twice opening weekend, too, in that normal world. I saw it Sunday, and again Tuesday night. I want to see it more, but no one wants to hire me so I don't have money.

This'll be spoiler-free, too. Scott Pilgrim isn't like Inception where you have to know how it ends to have a legit conversation.

Barely negative first:

Ramona can come off a tad cold. It's a stark contrast to her jokey/flirty graphic novel counterpart. I don't get the feeling she's really into Scott until Ex #3. Maybe a bit before, actually. Which makes me question why he's fighting all these guys for a girl that's only showing mild interest. Really, I want more time for these two. We, the audience, deserve to see them fall for each other. It's cliché, but it raises the stakes. And everyone loves a cutesy montage of time spent together, amiright? No? Just me? Whatever. More screen time would've alleviated this fan's minor hang-up. Emphasis on minor (I didn't want to put it in caps because then it looks MAJOR, which it isn't).

The graphic novels take place over the course of a year or so. The movie, around a month. The way we tell is Ramona's hair (she changes the color every week and a half; that revelation leads to a hilarious over-reaction by Scott). It's easy to follow. Except in one instance: I have no idea how much time passes between the battle of Exes 5 & 6 and the final showdown. Maybe after another viewing it'll be clear. But this is a nitpick, not a problem like Super Mario 2 being a dream. Editor's/Writer's Note: After the second viewing, still confused about the time. Once again, minor issue.

Something's clicked in the last year or so. Michael Cera went from being funny, to good, to tolerable, to annoying. For me, it's complicated. I love him as George Michael on Arrested Development and Superbad is one of the best comedies of the 2000s. But there's a stigma that's been following him around. His range, it seems, is limited to awkward, nervous guy. Which Scott Pilgrim can be. But reading the graphic novels, it also felt like there was a force-field around Scott—it either drew you in, like Knives Chau, or repelled you, like Julie Powers. It lent itself to him being self-absorbed. And I didn't get that from the Michael Cera-Scott Pilgrim. (The force-field, I mean. He did self-absorbed very well.) Maybe it's because he's such a small physical presence. It might come off as an odd gripe, but he looks really young/small. Especially next to Chris Evans and Brandon Routh. Even next to Jason Schwartzman. Hell, I think Mary Elizabeth Winstead has wider shoulders than him. It irks me and at times, distracted me. But he plays Scott well—he really does. Parts of my brain are still battling each other over this. Mind you, it's certainly possible that I've missed a crucial element: Scott Pilgrim is supposed to be physically unimposing. But I don't get that feeling because it's never mentioned. Or even hinted at. Ahh! (Real Monsters!) I just don't know how to feel about it, even after viewing numero 2.

Finally, and this is a bitchy point: The trailers revealed too many jokes. Way too many. This isn't a mark against the movie, really. I'm just a fan of "less is more" when releasing a trailer.

Now the good!

As folks ought to know by now, video games and comics are the heavy influences here. Comics are like the gateway visual to the harder, video game visuals. Best of all, friends, it works! The screen splits into panels. We see character names and tidbits (Name: Scott Pilgrim, Age: 22, Rating: Awesome). Silver Age sound effects come out of combat (Bam! Pow! Thwack! etc). Sound gets squiggly lines. It's good stuff. But Scott Pilgrim vs The World pulled the most from video games. Points appear after Scott defeats enemies or does something heroic. He grabs a 1-Up. Enemies leave behind coins after defeat. Bars measure remaining life, or bladder levels. Combos, KOs, team-ups, etc. all get accurate graphics. Undeniably genius. It's integrated to the point where you don't notice it after the first big fight (there is a period of adjustment. This is NOT a typical movie). Coming from a gaming background, I loved it (couldn't tell?). It makes me want to pull out the old Nintendo, which Cindy has down in Austin. Sad face x 10. The creativity shown here is stunning.

Not everything is super in-your-face. A lot is, and I'm really glad Edgar Wright did NOT do the 3-D conversion (3-D is not a future of film I'm excited about). Subtlety abounds and those paying attention will get extra laughs. But I'll give you some things to look for: Wallace has his initials embroidered on shirts and cuffs. Watch Scott's head anytime his hair is mentioned. At one point, Scott's bass explodes. Chuckle at it's reappearance. Ramona's clothes and bag will match her hair. During a conversation, the characters can go through 3+ locations. It's flawless really, and it might even go unnoticed if you aren't looking for it. Also, when on the bus with Ramona, the streetlights on her side are heart-shaped. It's hard to spot, but if you have a keen eye, you can pick it out. I'm looking forward to wearing out my pause and rewind buttons. Editor's/Writer's Note: Pay attention to the opening credits. Each actor's name is accompanied by drawings relating to their character. Neat!

The soundtrack is incredible: Beck stands in as Sex Bob-Omb, Metric as The Clash at Demonhead, and Broken Social Scene as Crash and the Boys. Brillance! Seriously, The Clash at Demonhead scene...It makes me want to buy a ticket for their concert. It scares me that the original script didn't have any music scenes in me, because it became almost as integral a part of the story as comics and video games. Sex Bob-Omb has the charm of your above-average garage band (Another Day, anyone?) and a catchy sound despite ridiculous lyrics. Crash and the Boys, well, I don't want to spoil anything about them, so the less said, the better (get it?!).  We've got a horribly appropriate Rolling Stones song thrown in for good measure, too. The score is littered with 8-bit era sounds and shout-outs to games of yore. It's rich and funny: There are send-ups of action movie music (shoelaces have never been so compelling) and a particular sitcom, too. I make no guarantees since I'm broke, but this is the type of music I'd go out of my to buy.

In one of the short behind-the-scenes features from the interactive trailer, Edgar Wright mentioned that the fight scenes were like dance numbers in musicals—for 3 minutes, everyone is involved in this giant routine, and when it's done, no one questions how everyone knew the dance steps and lyrics. That in mind, Scott Pilgrim vs The World fits into the musical mold (along with the comic book mold and video game mold—naming a genre for this movie will be a bitch). Just like in the graphic novels, the fights were as normal as blowing in a Nintendo cartridge. Treating them without any sort of mystique makes it easier for the audience to accept them. The fights are more than just battles, too; they're stories themselves. We learn about the person Ramona was, and how resourceful/ingenious/lucky Scott can be. They move the plot forward and give us the best scenes between Ramona and Scott. They're also badass. They had two of the best fight choreographers on set and it shows. There's moments where Michael Cera looks surprised at where a hit is coming from and that helps keep things looking super staged. Each fight had a distinct feel and they each stand out. That's no easy feat. Can you tell the difference between any of Rocky's fights, without relying on his opponent? No? You can here. (OK, that's a mostly unfair comparison, since boxing is, well, boxing. But you get the point.)

I've mentioned a lot about Scott and Ramona. Michael Cera is an effective Scott. Mary Elizabeth Winstead wears Ramona well, even if I want more. The story may be about them, but they are far from all there is. There's all 7 of the Evil Exes. There's Wallace, and Stacey, and Stephen Stills and Kim, Knives and Young Neil. With the exception of the twins, the Exes chew up scenery like a T-Rex on Donald Gennaro (65,000,000 points for getting the reference. Another 65,000,000 points for getting the points reference. But only the first points. If you add the two, it's just a really big number with no significance). Chris Evans was obviously having a blast. He was also doing his best Batman impression with that voice. Same with Brandon Routh (it looked like they shot him so he didn't tower over everyone else). He played grammatically challenged very convincingly. These two guys turned it up to 11. Arrested Development fans will get a kick out of watching Ann (her?) kick the crap out of George Michael. Her exit is something to behold, too. Satya Bhabha played Matthew Patel with such absurdity. You need to see his entire routine to believe it. Ellen Wong as Knives—this poor girl. Infatuation must be second nature to her (or maybe she's just...acting!). The bandmates were spittin' images of their graphic novel counterparts. Mark Webber as Stephen Stills carried the neuroticism and one-track mind humorously and without getting annoying. Kim was a bit more dead-pan than I expected, but it works. You see a lot under the surface, and I wish they had been given time to really explore her and Scott's history, because it's complicated and helps develop both characters. Kieran Culkin (Wallace) stole his scenes. He took them from Michael Cera and refused to let go, until he disappeared in the third act (mostly). Jason Schwartzman was so smarmy, you wanted to punch him in the face and be him, but not at the same time. He secreted douche bag with every little thing he did. Amazing job. It's so rare that everyone in a giant ensemble pulls their weight, but it happened here.

Some of the reviews I've read, well, they missed something. A bunch of critics mentioned Scott being a jerk. They say this in a bad way, asking why he's the hero and why we should root for him. That's the point. At least part of it. Scott's an asshole. Scott broke Kim's heart and Knives' heart, and probably other hearts. He did this without really thinking about the girls or their feelings. Each of us has been there (replace girls with boys when appropriate, unless you lady readers had a "sexy phase"). He's sometimes oblivious and self-absorbed. To say that you have never achieved either of those statuses would be denial. Scott reflects his audience. He makes the mistakes of a 22-year-old. And I think the audience appreciates that. We like flaws. A flawed character has a more satisfying redemption than the clean cut guy. Look at how popular Wolverine and Batman have become the last few years, especially in comparison to the last Superman movie (which I like and own!). At the moment, the not-so-hero has become the hero. Scott isn't a Superman. But we're never led to believe he is. Instead, he's human, with all the messy intricacies that entails.

As Ramona accurately states, "We all have baggage." That's the other point of the movie. In some way or another, we all struggle with the past. We carry it around with us (that's why it's called baggage!) and sometimes we drop it at the feet of a significant other, and sometimes they rifle through it. Sometimes it forms a League of Evil Exes and tries to control your love life and keep you from dating anyone. Our response is what matters in these instances. Jealousy is a hard thing to overcome. A Dave Eggers short, Quiet, deals with a past creeping in on the present, and it was super convenient that I read that before seeing the movie. It can be dangerous. Physically so in Scott Pilgrim vs The World. If one were so inclined, one could write a theory about how the fights were just hallucinations on Scott's part, daydreams to deal with the revelations. Or Scott may just be insane, thus the visuals. Either way, the heart of the movie tells us that we have to deal with it and move on. The past can be left behind. That's encouraging.

I'm already looking forward to the DVD release. The movie itself is reason enough to get it upon its release, but the extras have my attention. There's so much to learn about this movie and I want to soak it all up. Edgar Wright is a baller, through and through. He assembled as close to perfect a cast as you could get for an epic of epic epicness, and his crew had to have been outstanding. It's visually arresting, will leave you laughing, and never gets carried away with excess. It speaks to a generation of 20-somethings, regardless of whether or not they played video games or read comics. Really, I can't say enough good about it. So go see it, multiple times. Buy the soundtrack and the score. Tell your friends, or better yet, drag your friends to see it. Then go to Memory Lane Comics in Wilmington, NC and buy all six volumes. Edgar Wright borrows graciously from the source material: Entire chunks of dialogue, action pieces, designs, etc. It's cool to take a look at a page and then see it on the big screen.

The long, drawn-out point here is that Scott Pilgrim vs The World is a great movie. It's quirky and unique and has a visual style all it's own. If you go in with an open mind and no bias against video games, you'll have fun. A lot of it. Probably too much fun.

Final Score: 10 out of 11