Scott Pilgrim vs. The World | Review
Director Edgar Wright (‘Hot Fuzz’, ‘Shaun of the Dead’) has given “the world” something truly special. He’s given the cinematic-world a visually appealing, eye-candy, adventure of a movie! ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ is truly a unique film, and one of the best this year!
Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a 22-year-old guy with relationship issues. His last serious relationship ended with his heart broken, and now he’s dating a 17-year-old high school student, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). However, we’re never sure if he truly likes Knives, or if he’s just desperate. But when he meets the girl of his dreams, literally, his world is forever changed. This girl is Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and for some reason, Scott has a thing for her – he thinks she’s the one. However, to truly be with Ramona, Scott has to defeat her “Seven Evil Exes;” he literally has to fight and battle with each one.
The most exciting moments in the film are these seven battles. The film keeps these battles interesting by having a variety of characters, each with their own unique personalities. Before seeing the film, I knew that the battles would be video-game-esque, but I thought that the battles would all be similar, and eventually get tedious. However, I was gladly wrong. Each and every one of the battles were unique in their own ways, depending on who the “Evil Ex” was. One is Bollywood inspired, one music-inspired, and more. Some battles are more memorable than others, but each is visually stunning, and unique.
I loved the personalities of each of the “Evil Exes.” All of them were hilarious in their own way; one was a vegan-powered jerk, another was a Hollywood actor. They’re all so unique; one was even a girl! Ramona’s female ex, Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman), was totally badass and had a slightly special speech pattern. I loved how some of these battles required Scott Pilgrim to use strategy to defeat the exes, and not just simple brute force. Some of the battles required Scott to use what he knows about his opponent’s background and personality, and it’s gratifying to see how Scott pulls off some of these victories. These “Evil Exes” are, for the most part, portrayed by unknowns. The most popular, to me, were Chris Evans (‘Fantastic Four’) and Brandon Routhe (‘Superman Returns’). However, the celebrity-status of the actors in the film didn’t technically affect the way we viewed their characters. For example, Chris Evan’s character of Lucas Lee was, to me, the least interesting of the “Evil Exes.” ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ had many, many characters, each different, and for the most part, are likable and enjoyable.
Scott has a gay friend and roommate, Wallace, played wonderfully by Kieran Culkin. Culkin’s portrayal of Wallace truly stole the film. Culkin’s character was funny in almost every scene, and many of his lines were quotable-worthy. Knives was a crazy character that could have been portrayed in two different ways – annoyingly or awesomely. Ellen Wong does a great job at making Knives appear obsessive and crazy, while at the same time innocent and lovable; her character could have easily been seen as annoying, but Ellen Wong pulled her off the right way. Also, Knives is totally badass by the end of the film. Aubrey Plaza (‘Parks and Recreation’) portrays a memorable minor character, Julie Powers. Julie is one of Scott’s friends and has the unique ability to censor her speech, which is hilarious.
The film has so many different characters that are so different and unique, that it’s hard to choose a favorite. However, there are some characters that could’ve been better. To me, Ramona Flowers seemed too distant and not-right for Scott Pilgrim. Her character just had a straight-faced, uncaring personality throughout the entire film. I didn’t sense any chemistry between her and Scott Pilgrim, but hey, maybe that’s what her character’s supposed to be like. The twin “Evil Exes” barely had any screen time, and had a short battle; they literally didn’t speak one line.
‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ has an extremely fast pacing, and it works great. Straight from the beginning of the film, you can tell that everything happens fast in the film. The dialogue is even fast at some parts. This fast-pace requires fast transitions, and I felt like the transitions were well-done. The visuals in the film were also amazing and well-done. I loved how well the film managed to pull off a video-game feel, and make it not cheesy. The film had “pee bars,” “coins as rewards,” “health points,” and so much more. All of these things fit naturally in the film, and they’re awesome. The weapons were amazing, and the fights were all well-choreographed.
‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ has everything you could possibly want in a film! It has wonderful actors, memorably unique characters, an interesting plot, quotable dialogue, a unique style, spectacular visuals, and so much more! It’s truly, truly unique (I know I’ve said that a lot, but it really is!) and is definitely a stand-out film from most that are currently out. No other film this summer, or this year, has been this stand-out since Inception. Both films are definitely on the top of my “Best Films of 2010” list, for sure!
Four out of four Kent's.
PS: Who doesn’t like Michael Cera? He’s such a lovable actor, and has that unique ability to be “liked” in any film he does! He’s awesome.
PSS: ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ is ridiculously awesome. Go see it! You don’t have to be “nerdy” or “geeky” to like or understand the film’s concept and unique style. I went with a lot of friends, and most of them surely weren’t the gamer-types. The film’s appealing to males as well as females, for sure!
PSSS: Once again, go see ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World!’
