Scott Pilgrim vs the World: 3 Coins
‘Scott Who?’ Yeap, this was exactly my reaction when I got the screener information for this movie… I must also confess that if it weren’t for my brilliant, beautiful and talented friend Wendy G., I would have had been a lost soul…but Wendy G. came to my rescue and taught me all I needed to know about this unlikely hero…
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If you are a Scott Pilgrim newbie, here is your cliff note: Scott Pilgrim is the protagonist of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s six graphic novels by the same name. As written, poor Scott is a 22-year old slacker looking for love at the worst age possible in all the wrong places, including high school. His unlikely adventures are told using different idioms within the graphic novel structure.
Watching Scott Pilgrim vs The World, I was reminded that the pleasures of visual oversaturation do have their limits in the graphic novel context…or do they? Didn’t Gandhi say that reading is letting your mind roam free…while watching is believing…or something like that…or was it Mandela? Maybe neither…but most high thinkers in every barrio would probably agree…
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So quickly after watching Scott Pilgrim, the movie, I decided this review would need more than the average screening…it needed context. Inspired by Wendy G., I read the novels…ALL six of them…and did enjoy Scott’s development from a selfish little dude into a ninja warrior who is more willing to accept responsibility for his actions…but wait…that was all in the graphic novels. Back to the movie…
Edgar Wright’s (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a movie made for a very specific audience: the fans of the graphic novels. Outside of this demographic chances are pretty good that you will either love it (25 year-old person…I’m talking to uuuu) or hate it (+ 30 fogies.) And then there are exceptions….like everyone else who read the novels and liked them, THAT would be Wendy G. and me! So regardless of which group may find yourself, you cannot possibly ignore this very original movie.
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The story is quite simple: the aimless Scott Pilgrim must defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil ex-boyfriends before he can win her heart… OK…as far as graphic novels go this is simple. As far as movies go, this is not as simple, especially when you are competing against a graphic novel. But the hot and able Wright is right in tune with the task at hand…
Scott is sort-of-an indie rocker who is dating a high school girl with the cool name Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Knives is his true love for a few hours or until the girl from his dreams actually materializes in the form of rollerblading wonder and hipster Chica, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Scott’s precious little life takes a whole new meaning after meeting Ramona. Suddenly he learns that its him against the world and the 7 evil exes: he must defeat these peculiar exes (who
