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SCOTT PILGRIM Edgar Wright Starring Michael Cera Mary Elizabeth Winstead Ellen Wong Kieran Culkin This movie has a very clear demographic and panders to it without mercy; in other words, if you don't get the references, there's no helpful line of dialogue to shamefully blurt out "Hey, I just heard the opening theme for popular Nintendo title, The Legend Of Zelda." Even more simply put, there are people out there who have an additional internal organ - a geek gland, if you will, a combination of ones heart, brain, genitals and arse - one which Edgar Wright has made a career out of successfully stimulating. The question being asked is, is this a positive thing? Should his films open themselves up to wider audiences? Should the references be less esoteric? From a fiscal point of view, it holds the potential to be a disastrous flop but where the art-form of cinema is concerned, Mr. Wright proves he is an individual of wondrous vision and admirable integrity. Basically, yeah, Scott Pilgrim is a positive thing. The film opens on the simple exploits of twenty-something nobody, Scott Pilgrim [Cera]. As a character he is shallow, cowardly, two-faced and wholly unlikeable - not great for a hero role but as with the graphic novel, Cera manages to pull off a strange charm that makes the young man somewhat endearing. The plot continues at a fair pace, detailing Scott's budding relationship with seventeen year old, Knives Chau [Wong]. It's only when Scott falls for the standoffish girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers [Winstead] that the film kicks into overdrive. Unable to deal with the awkwardness of dumping Knives, Scott simply pursues both women -- an act he could probably keep secret if it weren't for the fact that both girls come to see Scott's band (Sex Bob-omb) perform. It is also at this initial battle-of-the-bands concert that Scott must defeat Ramona's first evil ex-boyfriend, who explains that he will be visited by the faces of Ramona's past, all of whom he must battle -- sort of like a nerdy twenty first century Christmas Carol . . . only nothing like A Christmas Carol, so ignore that reference. From here the movie batters on at a blistering pace before wrapping itself up neatly. Walking out of the screening I had difficulty formulating a solid opinion. As an avid fan of Bryan Lee O'Malley's original graphic novel, I am not only the target audience but also the film's most staunch critic. I'm internally conflicted by witnessing the characters on-screen, checking to see what little gems have been included for those who know what to look out for and the ominous voice in the back of my head (an internal critic that I regularly refer to - essentially he sounds like me only creepier and more angry) screaming, "Put your tongue back in your gob, your eyes back in their sockets and ask yourself if what you've seen is actually a good FILM. Your noteworthy points thus far are just fanboy gushing and you need to focus on whether or not it was right for this medium." Having taken a sufficient period to allow my thoughts and opinions to settle, I have finally made up my mind. Scott Pilgrim is good; really good, in fact. Unique, entertaining, visually enthralling and wickedly funny but it's not Wright's best work and most people (average cinemagoers - the tossers who ensure mediocrity thrives in every aspect of my life that I don't have direct control over) are going to hate it... or at the very least, not get it. The film's biggest weakness is the fact that it is an adaptation. If it were an original piece by Edgar Wright I'm sure it would flow harmoniously and tie together well. However, as a condensed version of six jam-packed graphic novels, it just presents the main narrative, keeping only a handful of the best jokes and setups before discarding the rest. I'm in no way attacking them for doing this, it absolutely had to be done to get something even close to a decent running time but a three season big-budget TV series would have been much better. I know that gets spouted a lot, especially when it comes to adaptations but my main reason for bringing it up is the clusterfuck mob of uninitiated who leave the cinema asking, "So, was he in a video game.. or what?" I don't think we should cater to the intelligently deficient/incapable but we should be able to stop them from spewing retarded negative comments, just because they didn't understand what they witnessed. Ultimately, this is a very different film, more than that, it's a fun film. With references that would decimate an homage-o-metre, an impressive bass-heavy soundtrack (courtesy of Beck, among others), engrossing visual effects and possibly the closest comic-book narrative conversion ever attempted, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a great launch pad for the source material but certainly a stripped-down adaptation of a truly engaging story. The geek part of me wants to rate it higher and the professional part is holding me back. If I were to be completely honest, I think this movie is a solid effort but as Comeau quietly confesses in the film, "the graphic novel was better than the movie." Release Date: 27th August 2010 The Scene To Look Out For: Incredibly difficult. Initially I would have stated the most memorable scene was either some bafflingly subtle reference to an almost unknown 8bit video game or an example of hilarious intercut dialogue that made it from the graphic novel. In retrospect, I would say Scott witnessing Ramona and Knives first talking to one another before whipping round, slapping his fellow band mate and demanding to play now, very loud was pretty brilliant. The editing, timing and reactive acting is all sublime. Notable Characters: Before I get into this, I checked my email before posting this review and I've already read three complaints about the 'racist' comment that Ramona being referred to as 'American' is racist as the others are not referenced as such. Each email rambles on but at no point did they seem to take on-board that the film is based in CANADA! If anyone should feel out-raged it's the Canadians for the casting of American actors/actresses but, naturally, they're cool with it. Anyway, moving on. Wallace was always my favourite character in the graphic and Kieran Culkin not only delivered a solid performance but managed to steal the majority of the scenes he was in. Having said that, each member of the cast did a stellar job of portraying their given character, Aubrey Plaza as Julie Powers in particular. Highlighted Quote: "Enough! You cocky cock! You'll pay for crimes against humanity!" In A Few Words: "A commendable, absorbing adaptation but I doubt it will thrive outside its esoteric target audience" Total Score: 
8/10Matthew Stogdon |
