Review: Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Fantasy. Think about it for a moment. Typically, when one thinks of fantasy as a genre their mind may go to dragons, knights, hobbits or vampires. Other worldly, mystic entities are the unmistakable mark of fantasy, right? Harry Potter or something like that? But what about the fantasy that plays out in our minds? The daydreaming and pipe dreams of every day situations we wish could be more like the movies, informed by the pop digest we’ve consumed all our lives. That’s fantasy too. And that’s what Edgar Wright and Bryan Lee O’Maley have bottled so perfectly with Scott Pilgrim Vs The World.
Boiled down, Pilgrim is a two hour long dream sequence that serves as a metaphor for an unfolding relationship. The movie is about overcoming baggage: emotional, romantic, historical, and personal baggage. Your own, your significant other’s, and your friends’. Yet we see it through the mind’s eye of Scott Pilgrim, on that steady pop digest of video games, action movies, garage rock, and Coke Zero. This is his fantasy.
And what a fantasy it is. A few weeks back it seemed that Inception was the singular voice of the summer, so startlingly unique. Now, that may not be so. You’d be hard pressed to find anything that resembles Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. Yes, it’s blatantly influenced by late 80s/early 90s video games, comic books, and Kung Fu flicks, but its postmodern poppy mash unleashes a visual assault uniquely its own. With a laundry list of cheeky techniques (text on screen, voice over, unexpected mise en scene) we’re brought into yet another living comic book but at least this one is aware of that fact.
It’s supremely edited with snappy, disorienting transitions, the lighting and cinematography are playful and unexpected but they’re only outdone by the production design which unloads on the senses a dizzying amount of eye candy, in jokes, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it winks. For example the numerology laid throughout the film, each Ex represented in numbers present in the scenic design or the metaphorical and literal tearing down of New York City (in the form of a backdrop) during Scott’s fight with Lucas Lee.
Forgivable then is the story. Scott Pilgrim, the character, is not a good person (Spoiler Alert: until the end). His motivations are wishy-washy and sometimes downright mean. He’s also the epitome of an unreliable narrator. Dramatic necessities are left behind for fights and comedy. We’re never really given a reason as to why we should root for Scott and Ramona to be together, because frankly she doesn’t seem that great either. But it’s a play on the boy saving the princess tale. He’s Mario, she’s Peach, you don’t need to know why they should be together. Just accept that they should, it’ll go down smoother.
Performance wise, the ensemble for the most part works. Michael Cera is surprisingly tolerable, while Anna Kendrick and Jason Schwartzman are devastatingly under utilized. Kieran Culkin all but steals the movie. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is as flat as Kristen Stewart. And the remainder of the evil Ex’s are sharp (especially Chris Evans and Brandon Routh). There’s also a fun cameo about half way through (during Routh’s sequence).
Too often critics praise a film for being “an exploration of the medium itself.” And yet it would be difficult not to call this such an exploration. Edgar Wright has a firm grasp on inventive, original filmmaking, he simply brings the experience to another level. It’s a shame the movie was so poorly marketed, considering how much it brings to the table.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is a reflection of a generation who grew up on 8-bit video games and TGIF sitcoms. This is artfully displayed in the final battle (SPOILER ALERT) in which Scott fails miserably - he dies - but uses his extra life to get a do over. Do overs don’t exist in real life, and yet don’t we all sometimes wish life was more like a video game where in you do get a do over. This is Scott Pilgrim’s fantasy.
Great review. My biggest problem with the movie is what Alex hits on in paragraph five. I just didn’t care about the two getting together. And while it is forgivable because of how great everything else is, I can’t help but think how much better the movie could have been if I was emotionally invested in Scott and Ramona getting together.
I really loved this movie, though, and I’m bummed it did so poorly at the box office.
