Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Rating:

The world that Scott Pilgrim dwells in seems like a paradise for all who cherish the activities and cultures of the teenage life. Here is a world centered on teenage relationships, video games, comic books, and rock n’ roll. It allows a freedom that the youth could celebrate on a daily basis. The influence and sightings of adults in this movie are almost, if not entirely, absent.

Not only are the young characters here privileged with such an exciting reality, but they are also presented with powers of many possibilities. I am thinking of a scene that could be used as an example. Oh, yeah. After an evil ex-boyfriend has been stripped of his supremacy by the vegan police, our hero head butts him, and the weakened villain explodes, leaving a pile of coins just waiting to be the fed to greedy slot machines. In a world where sudden death turns into instant riches, one would suspect that murders would be much more rampant, but not here. Given the limitless possibilities, the characters actually behave quite well.

But before any exploding takes place, we are introduced to our hero, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera). He enjoys his time with his rock band. He often gets along with his gay roommate, Wallace. He is happily dating a girl named Knives whom he really likes. Scott Pilgrim is satisfied with where he is and who he’s with, until of course he literally meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Now Scott wants to be with Ramona, but she warns him that that couldn’t happen. You see, Ramona has seven evil ex-boyfriends who all want to kill Scott. Not good.

If Scott really wants Ramona, he must not only fight the bastards, but defeat them. Yes, I know. The plot for “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is one that is shallow, but what it lacks in plot it makes up for just about everything else. The script is vigorously funny and when the dialogue pauses for some ass-kicking, there is a display of imaginative visuals accompanied by some invigorating soundtracks.

The director is Edgar Wright, who I am a giant fan of. Wright is a comic genius, a master of satire, and probably the only director in Hollywood today who can use the nuisance of quick cuts and make them enjoyable and hilarious. Those who have seen “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” cannot argue with this truth. And like “Scott Pilgrim”, his two previous films are also without a complex plot, but it is his passion for filmmaking that elevates every film that he involves himself with.

If “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” feels and functions like a video game, then Edgar Wright is its programmer. But Wright is also a gamer, and he enjoys his creation, and allows himself to have as much fun as he can while making them. His passion is contagious, and we can only hope that he never runs out of coins to keep playing.