Hello and happy Monday! I humbly offer to you my review of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. This little film has been publicized for over a year, which is an achievement for a movie that doesn't have Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie as its star. However, it is based on a comic book - excuse me, graphic novel - so that may have had something to do with it.
Feeling at first glance like the man-approved Juno, the film is a good, solid ride. Scott is your average twentysomething nerd living a meaningless existence in Toronto, Canada until a girl with pink hair enters his life and turns it upside down. To win the heart of his true love apparent, Scott must defeat her seven Evil Exes. The things you've heard are right on: the film feels like a video game, from beginning to end, complete with level-ups, boss battles, and multiples "lives."
I cannot express how much Michael Cera's (Juno, TV's Arrested Development) restricted version of comedic acting grates on me, but he fits the bill as a nerd so well here that it works. All the "Evil Exes" are expectedly campy, and they are easily the best parts of the movie. You may recognize some of the faces of the Exes (Chris Evans of Fantastic Four, Mae Whitman of TV's Parenthood, Brandon Routh of Superman Returns, and Jason Schwartzman of TV's Bored to Death
). The battles between Scott and each Ex are exciting and just plain awesome.
). The battles between Scott and each Ex are exciting and just plain awesome.Then we have Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Sky High, Final Destination 3), who plays the girl of Scott's dreams, Ramona Flowers. She's cute and she dresses quirky (OMG just like Juno!), but that's about it. Her character comes off as flat and uninspired (very unlike Juno), which made me wonder why Scott falls so madly in love with her.
The writing is compact and tight. Every supporting character is given a specific personality, all of them funny. There is not a scene that doesn't add up to the finale. Again like Juno, this film seems to have created its own dialect of sorts, speaking with enjoyable and smirk-worthy pop culture references peppered into all of the conversations.
At the time of this writing, Scott Pilgrim is sitting at number five on the Top Ten, which, in box office terms, is bad. I find this interesting, since when I went to see it, the theater was packed and all the teenagers who thought Juno was the "OMG awesomest movie ever!" would not stop laughing at the screen. For sure, Michael Cera is becoming more and more a mainstream name, so I thought his first hugely marketed film would do well, or at least better than debuting at number five.
Still, I think Scott Pligrim is already a cult classic with the fans of the source material and a sleeper hit with the folks who went to see it this weekend. If given the longevity it now needs, I think the film will find its audience. As far as reaching that desperately coveted young demographic, this film does that in spades.
In a weird way, Scott Pilgrim is an intriguing social commentary on today's youth. In a world where it is so easy to transport ourselves into our TV sets and laptops and live through the lives of virtual avatars, how often do we get up and fight for something in the real world as hard as we fight to get past that villain and on to the next level of some game? Food for thought, I guess.
Like my last reviewed film, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the violence in Scott Pilgrim is hard to define. Yes, there are battles. Yes, there are weapons. Yes, the losers perish. But remember - the film takes place inside a video game universe, so every time Scott defeats an Ex, they burst into glittering coins, not blood 'n' guts. The battles themselves are bloodless, but both parties do get knocked around. Several instances of guy-on-girl violence may not sit well with some people, as it didn't with me.
This being a PG-13 offering, sex is everpresent. Scott and Ramona tumble into bed within days of meeting each other, which I thought was wholly unnecessary. At the beginning of the movie, Scott (a 22-year-old male) is dating a girl named Knives Chou (a 17-year-old high schooler). The legality of this is never brought up, but it made me feel uneasy. Plus, as Scott's infatuation with Ramona grows, so shrinks his courage to be honest with Knives. Parents and conservative minds be warned.
My biggest issue with Scott Pilgrim was that Scott falls for Ramona after simply seeing her in passing. From this, the movie unfolds into an "epic of epic epicness" depicting Scott proving his unfailing love for this girl that he just...saw. And I could deal with this...if...
Ramona reciprocated the unrequited love of Scott. But the girl is so distant and seemingly disinterested that i sat wondering why the poor guy was putting himself through all this for a girl whose attitude toward him kept saying, "Eh. I could take it or leave it." This triangle is all made worse by the inclusion of poor Knives, who genuinely likes Scott, but isn't given the benefit of honesty. I would think if he's man enough to engage in sparkly battle with seven bitter, super-powered exes, he would be able to grow a pair to tell Knives how he really feels.
Don't misunderstand me. The film does address the cheating issue, and all characters leave hunky-dory, but I just didn't get Scott's behavior.
All in all, the film stumbles, but is still a great ride. The utterly dazzling special effects made me want to brush my teeth after watching them. The very definition of eye candy.
My Christian conclusion is this: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a fantastic satire of our modern world. The film inspires you to fight for what you want, while simultaneously pointing out how insipid it is to fight for something that's not worth it (i.e. that sweet new gun in Halo). Walking out of the theater, I wanted to go out and win the approval of someone by showing what I'm made of. I wanted to log off my laptop, switch off my PS2, and go out and live to the fullest. But what? What in the real world is worth fighting for as hard as Scott fights for Ramona?
Jesus answered that for us. He fought and died for us because of his love for us. And I like to think it was worth it. Like Scott's seven battles, Jesus' triumph over the ultimate Evil Ex inspires me to go out and live my life to the glory of what matters: the person I love, to whom I owe everything. And while Jesus may not have purple hair or zappy one-liners, the life I gain continues to power me to fight the things that stand in my way of the ultimate level-up: eternal life in paradise.
