Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Really, another comic book movie? Well, yeah, but it’s not a Marvel movie its one of those weird comics that the general public doesn’t know exists. I actually love comic book movies so I’m not complaining. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a graphic novel story told in the motion picture format with a strong video game influence. Let’s dissect that a little bit. The film is based on the six part graphic novel series about Scott Pilgrim and his quest to win the opportunity to date the girl of his dreams. First he must defeat her seven evil ex’s in a series of death matches.

Scott is played by eternal teenage geek, Michael Cera. This time around he was actually able to expand a little bit on the role he plays in every single one of his movies. Able to build on the quirkiness of his supporting cast, Cera expands his usually one-dimensional persona into a strong lead character. There are also some contributions from some other established actors that take the pressure off the lead. Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), and Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) play two of the evil ex’s and create two of the funnier sequences in the film.

Then there’s the film’s unique twist. The insertion of video game themes, graphics and sound effects seems shallow in the trailers and the films opening scenes. Though as the plot develops, and the references become more frequent, they actually contribute in the same way music can. But don’t fret if you’re as bad at video games as I am. The references are generic enough to be relevant to most demographics (excluding the elderly and infants). Now the originality of the script really pointed Scott Pilgrim in the right direction. If some of those moments that try to convey the superiority of the indie music scene were toned down, this movie could have ranked among the summers best. I guess I’m just not cool enough to understand. (8.9 out of 10)

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