“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is a movie co-written and directed by Edgar Wright. It is based on the six volume graphic novel series “Scott Pilgrim” written by Bryan Lee O’Malley. The movie follows a 22-year-old “Scott Pilgrim” in Toronto, Canada as he is starting to date a 17-year-old highschooler named “Knives Chau.” Scott is in a struggling band he formed in high school called “Sex Bob-Omb,” and he is still trying to make it big with them. Scott then falls in love with a mysterious delivery girl named “Ramona Flowers” and attempts to juggle two relationships until eventually breaking up with Knives. The only catch about dating Ramona is that he must defeat her seven evil exes.
This movie is also not a current release, but more people definitely need to know about it and its director. Right now, the movie is very much a cult-classic. Most people who have seen it tend to love it and have it around as a constant rewatch.
But why? What makes this silly comic book movie so loveable?
This movie is just a romp and a riot. Whenever I am feeling sad or just want to watch a goofy movie, this is the movie I watch. It feels like this movie is tailor-made to fit all of my interests. Is it based on a comic book? Yes. Does it have super-stylized action? Yes. Is it an epic epic of epicness? Yes, indeed.
The presentation of “Scott Pilgrim” is out of this world, and all thanks to the wonderful Edgar Wright. The way Wright directs his movies is incredibly fascinating. It seems like he directs around the way he is going to edit the movie. The way the transitions tear you away from the scene is so incredibly fast, but never feels jarring, is incredible. Wright masters predicting where the audience’s eyes will be and uses that to create some mind-blowing transitions.
The movie feels like you are reading through a comic book, with certain scenes feeling like they are pulled straight out of the comic series. The various over-the-top onomatopoeias and sphericasias make the movie’s comic book origins into a style. Even ignoring the comic book-like appearance, the movie also comes across as a video game. Each title card feels like the next level, and the various combo counters and scores that appear on the screen all feed into a video game-like experience. It’s surreal and bizarre, but it is such a good time.
The characters in the movie are just as amazing and hilarious. Each and every one of them is likeable for how unlikeable they are. Michael Cera is just phenomenal as the titluar Scott Pilgrim. He is so perfectly charismatic, but he is flawed and blatantly ignores his issues. He is selfish and tends to follow his instincts, which often lead him to hurting other people. Mary Elizabeth Winstead portrays the mystery behind Ramona Flowers in a way that gives enough information to understand her as a character, but not enough information to where she won’t surprise you. Ellen Wong as Knives is so sweet, and you feel everything that hurts her in the cockles of your heart. All of the actors who played the evil exes are just perfect. I won’t give away who all of them are because seeing each actor in their roles is so much fun.
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is on Netflix right now, and if you need a movie to watch because the current rotation of movies you watch on Netflix is getting a little stale, “Scott Pilgrim” is the movie to watch. Also, watch more of Edgar Wright’s other films, especially if you like “Scott Pilgrim.” He directs plenty of amazing comedies, such as “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead.” In 2018, his movie “Baby Driver” was nominated for three awards (Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing). Most of his movies, however, tend to be ignored by general audiences.
So, if you can, you should really watch Scott Pilgrim. If I had to fight seven evil exes just to be able to watch this movie one more time, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Leave a Reply