Edgar Wright fresh from his hugely popular Cornetto films, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, takes on the hugely popular graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim vs The World. An underserved bomb at the box office and a film that did the impossible, made me like Michael Cera….
The basic premise of Scott Pilgrim vs The World is about Scott Pilgrim, played by Michael Cera, a bassist of the failing band Sex-Bob-Omb, grows an infatuation of a mysterious girl called Ramona Flowers. As he begins his pursuit he finds out, in true gamer fashion, that to get the girl of his dreams he must defeat her seven evil exes. That’s the premise and to me that just sounds ludicrous but fantastic at the same time.
That’s exactly what Scott Pilgrim is; ludicrous but fantastic. It is the most true adaptation of any comic book or graphic novel put to the big screen. There is literal scenes that could be matched with panels in the graphic novels. The aesthetic of this film is unique, it is aware it is a graphic novel. The video game aesthetic runs smoothly throughout. Edgar Wright does a fantastic job translating the eclectic pace of the novel into the film. You might understand that some viewers would be put off by the look of the film but on the other hand the look of the film is the reason why there is such a loyal fanbase. The flashy graphics, the bleeps and bloops, the speedy transitions that Wright is known for, Scott Pilgrim has this exceptional, bizzare and grandiose aesthetic that words can do it no justice. Besides Wreck-it-Ralph, this could be considered to be the best video game movie of all time and both of these films aren’t even video games.
The cast is also perfect, if you had to ask anyone who was aware of the character of Scott Pilgrim who would play him in a live action film I guarantee 99% would of said Michael Cera. I’m not his biggest fan but this film makes me grit my teeth and accept the fact the Michael Cera is fantastic in this. Also Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers was brilliant, her performance has instantly made her one of my favourite female characters ever portrayed in film. She has an alluring presence that would of persuaded me to fight her seven evil exes. Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells, Pilgrim’s housemate, he is hilarious and steals every scene he is in. Alongside that, all the exes play their role with such brilliance. Chris Evans, Mae Whitman, Brandon Routh and Jason Schwartzman are just stellar.
If you want one scene to really sell you on the film watch the battle of the bands scene between Sex Bob-Omb and the twins. The editing, the pace and the CGI creates a scene that is fast and sporadic. It is a true testament of what Edgar Wright can do. It is a shame it bombed at the box office because what this needed was a sequel. I want to see more of this world and I may have to return to the graphic novels to do that. Scott Pilgrim vs The World is like a Bugatti Veyron. It was expensive, loss a lot of money, will never be made again but it was fast, fun, fantastic to look at and it blew my mind.
The Cinema Cabin 
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