Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. Before the movie was even released there was an almost universal amount of praise for this flick. Now that it's been released, the time is up for the verdict, is it worth your time? Read on to get to scoop. The Scott Pilgrim movie is a live action adaptation of the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The director at the helm is Edgar Wright of Shaun Of The Dead fame. If you're a fan of either of those folks work then you'll love this movie.
For those who haven't been run over by the bulldozer of publicity that's come before this movie let me fill you in. The graphic novel is, in a word, awesome. It's nothing you haven't seen before, the story of boy meets the girl of his dreams, falls for girl, fights for girl. It's standard story fare. What makes it stand out from the crowd is the implementation of other elements. The graphic novel was a love letter to nerd and video game subcultures. That's all I'm going to say about the graphic novel. Onto the actual movie.
The movie is a veritable treasure trove of awesomeness. From start to finish, the movie literally turns the dial up to 11 and it never lets up. Outside of the mindless action flicks, a movie like this is a rarity. That's not to say that this movie isn't an action flick, it is, but it's got a whole lot of heart and a wicked sense of humor. Wright has to know how much the source material means to the fans because this movie is all about fan service. It's a rock and roll love story and as such, music is a big part of it. The vibe here is decidedly indie. Not the calming, hipster indie variety, but the more immediate, raw and visceral punk rock branch of the genre. Obviously with this type of movie the music adds an immense amount of vibe to the flick. As I said above, the graphic novel was heavily influenced by video games. The blend of live action elements with 8-bit video game motifs and over the top, old-school fighters of yesteryear has to be seen to be believed. If I had to find one way to describe the film, I'd say it was like an anime played out in real life; impossible in the real world, believable in its own universe, and looking damn good all the time.
As I said before, the story isn't really about the story. The fact that Scott falls head over heels for a girl who is, for all intents and purposes, unavailable and unattainable isn't new. The fact that he has somewhat of a heartbreaker past or the fact that he's been heartbroken isn't new. The ending of the movie isn't unpredictable by any stretch of the imagination. No, this movie isn't about the ending, it's about the journey. And what a journey it is, to be with the girl of his dreams, Scott has to defeat her seven evil exes. As one would expect, each of these battles plays out in glorious video game fashion, it's without a doubt what the meat of the movie is about. I need say nothing about the battles other than this; unbelievable. eye. candy.
I said before that the movie has a lot of heart, and it does. True, there's little exposition on the actual relationship between Ramona and Scott but almost everyone will be able to relate to the feeling of falling hard for someone. It's worth noting that even though there isn't much exploration of the relationship or foundation thereof, there's no doubt that the two feel something for one another. This is a different role for Cera, he plays a move aggressive assertive lead this time around and he sinks so comfortably into it, that, light as the movie is, you can't help but believe he might be the Lothario he's portrayed as. Ramona almost but doesn't quite manage to steal the show.
Bottom Line: So what's the verdict? Without a doubt Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is an epic win full of win.
Whether you're a fan of the graphic novel, of Wright's films, video games, nerd culture or just good cinema in general, there's something here for everyone. Films this viscerally intense are few and far between and this one manages to stay faithful to it's source material while simultaneously making it accessible to those not familiar with the comics. I wanted to find something to complain about in this, but literally, there was nothing I could find so I can't help but recommend this movie. Skip it only if you're the type that is violently opposed to light and fun cinema
Movie Rating: 5/5
Awesome review
ReplyDelete