Film Review | Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a wonderful film that you should all go see. From here on out, there will be nothing to contradict or balance this statement, so if you’re already convinced – impressed as you doubtlessly are by my critical prowess – you may switch off the computer right now and head to Eden Cinemas, where you will find the film safely tucked away in the unassuming Cinema 1. Like a gem, I would like to think, an Indiana Jones artefact, to be discovered only by those willing enough to undergo the adventure.

Twenty-two-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera – Juno, Superbad) may not have a job, but rocking the bass for his band, Sex Bob-omb, is a tough job unto itself. When Scott locks eyes with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead – Death Proof), he knows she's the girl he wants to grow old with. But Ramona has some serious baggage; her supercharged exes – who have formed their own League – rue the thought of her being with another man, vowing to crush any guy who gives her a second glance. Now, in order to win Ramona’s heart, Scott – saddled up with band-aid 17-year-old highschool girlfriend Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) – will do battle with everyone from vegan-powered rock gods to sinister skateboarders, never losing sight of his gorgeous goal as he pummels his way to victory.

That my own admitted biases will see this as a shame should be clear by now. What’s also a shame is the fact that Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz)’s adaptation of by Bryan Lee O’Malley’s indie comic book series didn’t do terribly well at the box office, despite the massive hype-machine that preceded it, catering to every aspect of its loud, colourful kaleidoscope: it’s a tale of young love and music told through now-nostalgic (for my generation anyway) 90s video game graphics… immediately recalling memories of begging your parents for that extra (non-euro) 10c after you’ve just been administered a pummelling by virtual opponent at the poky beach arcade, the ‘Continue’ screen counting down ‘9… 8…’

So for the right audience, and the right audience only, Scott Pilgrim is a deeply joyful experience, like a drunken conversation with an old friend, punctuated by laughter, anecdotes and a reminder that you’ll always have somebody who’ll understand you at your saddest and proceed to offer support with more drink, laughs and anecdotes. But for those less patient with floppy-fringed navel-gazing hipsters and their correspondingly slack clothing, not to mention never-explained superpowers and battles fought with hyperkinetic speed and shot through onomatopoeic ‘bangs’ and ‘whooses’, videogame blips and 8-bit explosions – it’s tougher to get through.

The tangled love story at its core, though, is genuine. Unlike Kick-Ass – the other ‘alternative’ comic book film of the year – it is not a cynically arranged pastiche aiming to hit the right geek power-fantasy buttons through a ham-fisted montage of violence, swearing and general badassery… it achieves the same effect by being sweet and poignant, allegorising the insecurity of youth, not mocking it incessantly. So Ramona’s past comes back to haunt her, literally tearing her and Scott apart. True, the metaphor is not there to be explored and pondered upon, but through it, O’Malley and Wright make the kinetic collage actually relatable. And, ironically enough given the film’s reliance on video-gamey dazzle, Scott fulfils a classic brief: to deserve Ramona, he must fight hard for her and, even if he fails in this quest, we expect him to grow from the experience.

And boy, does he need growing. What’s refreshing about Cera’s casting – an otherwise all-too-obvious choice to play awkward beta-male – is that Scott isn’t particularly nice: poor Knives Chau is shamelessly used as an ‘gap’ girlfriend, and it’s implied that Kim, Sex Bob-omb’s drummer, who also dated Pilgrim in the past, didn’t have a nice time of it either. Even though his callousness is more often than not brought about cluelessness, you’ll doubtlessly sympathise with Kim when she tells Scott: “if your life had a face, I would punch it.”

The film is full of similarly endearing repartee, delivered by characters armed with as many quirks and foibles. Each evil ex comes packed with hilarious mannerisms. Brandon Routh, masterfully recovering from a misguided turn as emo-Superman (in the universally-panned Superman Returns) is the veganism-powered Todd Ingram (don’t ask, just watch), Chris Evans proves to be an excellent sport, indulging in some pitch-perfect self-parody as the seemingly indestructible Hollywood action star (“the only thing separating me from her is the two minutes it’s gonna take to kick your ass!”) while Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore) acts as indie elder statesman, his Gideon Graves tying things to a close at the epic finale.

Cinema 1 may not be enticing, nor appropriate – Pilgrim is a visual feast that deserves only the best of canvases – but I can only repeat: see it now, before it’s gone. It’ll become a Fight Club-like cult classic a few years down the line, then you’ll regret not being able to say “I was there!”