Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is your typical boys meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy must kung fu fight girl’s seven evil exes. We’ve seen it a million times before and…wait, no we haven’t seen that before. Directed by the absurdly entertaining British filmmaker Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz) and based on the series of graphic novels by Canadian Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a bizarre pop culture infused romantic/action comedy that grabs you by the throat and forces you to be entertained for 113 minutes. It’s a rom-com for a generation suffering from ADD and raised on videogames, indie rock, cable TV, and countless DVD rentals. The film might stop just short of becoming a generational classic, but it will at least have you giddily enthralled for the entire running time.
Michael Cera stars at the titular Scott Pilgrim and does his typical awkward young man act. The difference here is that he has to step into some pretty serious wire-fu fight sequences when he isn’t being uncomfortable around the ladies. Like many people in their 20s, Pilgrim has no direction in life and wastes time with his little rock band and a series of halfhearted relationships. One day Pilgrim meets Ramona Flowers, a girl who he instantly and inexplicably falls for. Unfortunately, Ramona has a league of evil ex-boyfriends who must battle each new suitor that vies for the young lady’s attention. Suddenly Pilgrim finds himself thrust into seven ludicrously over-the-top fight sequences while also finding time to compete in a battle of the bands. It’s a nice little representation of how 20-somethings tend to exaggerate relationships in their heads and turn simple interactions into life and death struggles.
The original comic books made it clear through Scott’s mundane reality that all of the fights and flights of fantasy were products of his overactive imagination. But in order to condense the 6-part series into a single movie, most of that outside reality was dropped and the film takes place entirely from Scott’s skewed perspective. That does weaken the story and makes the surreal and ridiculously fast paced movie feel a little excessive at times, but it was a necessary part of the adaptation. Anyone who has seen Edgar Wright’s previous work will know that he’s perfect for the material, turning every scene into a flashy, stylistic tour-de-force without losing sight of the comedy. He’s one of the most giddily entertaining directors working today and while it would be nice to see him dial things back from 11 once in a while, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is so ludicrously entertaining that it’s hard to mind.
The references and in-jokes come at a furious pace (look out of a hysterical Seinfeld scene complete with laugh track) and the performances from such actors as Jason Schwartzman and the underrated Canadian up-and-comer Allison Pill are strong enough to stand out against the excessive style. Audiences unfamiliar with all the pop culture tropes being mocked, referenced, and abused will probably find the experience to be a bit excessive. But this isn’t a movie to please the masses. It’s made for a select crowd of movie geeks, videogame nerds, and indie music kids who will embraced it and pass it around hazy dorm rooms like a right of passage for years to come. –Phil Brown
