I know, I know. I'm late to the party once again, but who cares when the stuff I end up watching entertains me as much as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World did?! Having never read the "books" at all I threw myself into this movie with little-to-no expectations. And I loved every second of it.
Story-wise, it's not much at all - but that's fine in this case! A heartbroken 22-year-old has to defeat the Seven Evil Exes of the girl of his dreams before he can date her. And that's more or less it. Cue plenty of cringe-worthy behaviour that any of us who have loved someone out of our league will recognise all too well... I especially loved the little exchange between Scott and Ramona as she delivers his Amazon.ca package.
And it's a combination of these lovely little moments and utterly astounding visuals that makes the film something a little bit different, a little bit special. On-screen text and comic-book cutaways aren't a new thing, but I have struggled to find a movie that utilises them in such an effective way. It looks like a movie, feels like a video game and sounds like a great album. It also has enough charm and sweetness to keep the most critical of you happy until the end.
This is not least because of the astounding young cast that have been placed together so carefully it hurts. Ellen Wong as Scott's fake-high-school-Chinese-girlfriend, Knives, shines so brightly you wish there was more of her in the movie - and she's already in it a fair amount. Her "annoying little high-school fan-girl" act is perfectly played. Michael Cera as Scott shines also, though deliberately not so brightly. He's the perfect choice for a neat little role. The rest of the cast are wonderful too! I literally cannot find fault with a single performance.
I didn't think I'd really like this movie and I know for a fact there will be some out there who certainly won't. It's one of those films that tricks you into thinking you can turn your brain off - except you can't, because there's so much to notice, so many beautiful little touches that take the audience right out of their seat and into Scott's world, that if you switch your head off you'll miss most of what it wonderful about this film. It's unique in it's smile-factor, for me. Edgar Wright has done a beautiful job of directing action that feels like you're in charge. When you see the movie (or if you already have) then you'll know what I mean. The perfect movie to throw on when there's nothing else to do - and at almost two hours long, it's just long enough to not feel like a throw-away piece of fluff.
Highly recommended.
