Review of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) by Ethan P — 28 Jun 2017

Perpetually exciting and impeccably assembled, "Scott Pilgrim Vs The World" is one of the most faithful comic book to movie adaptations out there, and it also stands alone as an excellent action/romantic comedy.

It's strange how consistently well-paced it manages to remain throughout, while also being THE fastest movie around. Edgar Wright's signature editing style is heavily prominent here, blending shots into scenes into chapters into acts into one single fluidly flowing product. Yet it still takes its time to develop relationships and guide us through the more personal moments of these characters' lives. This is the poster child of intricately editing films.

Speaking of the characters, everyone is perfectly cast. There's not a single actor out of place as their comic counterpart. Michael Cera does seem a bit more gawky as Scott Pilgrim than I read the character in the books, but didn't see that as an issue. If anything it made it more interesting to watch the character through all his stutters and awkward glances. And wholy moly, I have to mention how funny Jason Schwartzman is as Gideon. The character is a total jerk, but I loved it whenever he was on screen. There's something so innocent in his immoral behavior. Phenomenal job.

The humor in this film feels quite a lot more American than the humor in the Cornetto trilogy, meaning it revolves more around absurd situations than silly and witty dialogue, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It fits in more with the reference material, as well as the subject matter. It's tough to tell when the script ended and the editing started, in terms of the storytelling, but however it was done, I loved it.

The cinematography and stylized effects are great. No other movies look like this one. It's part video game and part comic book, and all uniquely atmospheric. The score and soundtrack also play a big part in creating the atmosphere. For a non-musical there's a lot of music, both as ambience and as sounds that characters are physically making. There's probably six or seven music performances, and all of them are accompanied by crazy visuals. Again, very unique.

I love all of Edgar Wright's work, but "Scott Pilgrim" is my favorite. I don't know if it's relatable or amusingly isolating or what, but there's something about it that I really connect with. I do wish it were a bit longer, so some of the left out material from the comics could be included, but I understand why cuts were made. And in a world with an abundance of comic book movies that hardly resemble comic books at all, I entirely appreciate that films like this exist.