The eagerly anticipated Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World from director Edgar Wright, serves up a plate of nonsensical, unsolicited fun. With kick-ass fighting scenes that out-do the likes of Tekken, a range of awesome indie tunes, and incredible visuals throughout, the film is the perfect escape from reality for any moody teen or big kid.
Scott Pilgrim, lovingly played by the geeky yet cute Michael Cera (Juno, Year One, Superbad), is a twenty-something bass player with little direction in life. Cue sexy bad girl Ramona Flowers. Pilgrim falls madly in love with Ramona, only to discover she comes with more baggage than the usual girl, in the form of 7 evil exes. What comes next is a multitude of justifiably over-the-top battles, incorporating some fab fight moves from Cera, electrical music monsters, a load of comic-book stylings and super-powers cool enough to give Spidey a run for his money.
The highlight of the film is its likeness to eighties videogames, like Pac-Man. Everytime Pilgrim successfully defeats an ex, they explode into coins. Not only that, but the Pilgrim-verse gives Scott the ability to gain extra lives, fight in split screen and have all the onomatopoeias you can ask for showing up on screen whenever he throws a punch. Also, whenever a new character is introduced, their name and age comes up next to them on screen; again this gives a virtual feel to the movie.
Brandon Routh plays avid vegan Todd, my favourite evil ex. His super-powers are seemingly enforced by his pretentious vegan nature and although he struggles to string an intelligent sentence together he proves to be a tough kill for Pilgrim. Another character that gives the film that little bit extra is Wallace Wells, Pilgrim’s gay roommate. Played by Kieran Culkin, Wallace offers a vast amount of comedic value with his ability to send a gossipy text even when he’s passed out, by turning straight men gay, and by generally highlighting Scott’s stupidity and ineptitude with women.
Wright succeeds in keeping the film as true to the graphic novels as possible, whilst adding his own British spin. Snappy cut scenes, as seen in previous Edgar Wright gems Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, are used to effect when Pilgrim is rushing off to battle his next nemesis. The film is well cast and although it has its fair share of special effects, it doesn’t rely on these to carry the film, unlike a lot of current blockbusters. A wicked sense of British humour, several cringe-worthy moments and an underlying love story really help the film come into it’s own.
With a simplistic yet relatable storyline and enough KOs, smashes, biffs and POW!s to keep any comic-book fan happy, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World gets 9/10.
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