Under normal circumstances it is hard enough for a teenage boy to attract a member of the opposite sex, but the level of difficulty is amped up considerably when the way he has to do that is to defeat seven of her not-so-nice ex-boyfriends in the videogame dimension. Confused? Well, you won’t be. Just follow along with me on this sometimes weird and sometimes wild but always an eyeful journey.
British director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) has made quite a name for himself in the past couple of years. He continues on his winning streak with a film that is visually arresting and so unique that you cannot help but be blown away. The pacing of the film is in true comic style with it jumping from scene to scene rather quickly. Fun stuff. It renews my faith in the belief that there are still some people with imagination and talent making films today.
Winter’s latest gem is based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley and tells the tale of slightly awkward Scott Pilgrim’s (Michael Cera) attempt to win the heart of Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) – a name that only could be found in film or maybe on a soap opera, but I digress.
Scott is a bassist in a less-than-successful indie punk band called Sex Bob-bomb. The two meet as Ramona is a delivery girl. To continue on with whatever might happen between the two, Scott discovers that he has to defeat in battle her seven rather unsavory exes. He will have to faceoff against Lucas Lee (Chris Evans), twins Kyle and Ken (Shota and Keita Saito), the very female Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman), Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), and the most dastardly of the bunch plus Ramona’s most recent boyfriend, Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman). Phew! That’s quite a list!
The dialogue is a nice and new (for me) mixture of that deadpan British way and the rapidfire style of comic books. The result is oftentimes hysterical. Besides the comic book style the film also has a musical theatre quality to it. The fight sequences are all staged like dance numbers. Wright is juggling many balls and manages to keep them all in the air.
Once the action begins it does not slow down. More accurately, it rarely even pauses for a breath. Nary a dull moment is to be found. Things come at you quickly, looking lovely and colourful and you will almost feel like you are dreaming.
Though I have blown a lot of smoke up a part of Mr. Wright’s anatomy he is also greatly helped out by his wonderful ensemble cast. These young guys and gals know what they are doing and do it well. Plenty of comedic talent in this bunch.
Some will love its ADD and full throttle forward style and others will hate it for exactly the same reason. Whatever emotions you have towards this film I promise you they won’t be in the middle.
Special Features:
-Digital Copy
-U Control: Storyboard Picture in Picture
-Deleted Scenes
-The Making of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
-You Too Can be a Sex Bob-Omb
-Music Featurette & Music Videos
-Alternative Footage
-Visual Effects
-Adult Swim: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation
-Pre-Production Footage
