The funky world of Scott Pilgrim

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)
Certified: 12
Duration: 112 minutes
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Narration by: Bill Hader
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Brandon Routh, Alison Pill, Chris Evans, Mark Weber, Jason Schwartzman
KRS release

Scott Pilgrim vs The World is a revenge film for the nerd. It is is a perfect amalgamation of different styles: Comic books, martial arts, indie rock and video games all intertwined to form a film that is visually eye-popping and a rollercoaster of a ride. The picture is helped immensely by its protagonist, Michael Cera, who looks so sad and forlorn and head over heels in puppy love.

Directed by Edgar Wright, who had also directed the excellent Shaun of the Dead (2004), this film is an adaptation of the Canadian comic books by Bryan Lee O’Malley.

The plot is as simple as can be and there will be some who will say that it’s just a set-up to have several incredible fight scenes. Do not believe them.

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) has fallen in love, however the girl of his dreams has seven evil exes with whom he must battle in order to keep on dating her. The object of his desire is the lovely Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who has the habit of changing her hair colour quite often.

As Scott Pilgrim, an unemployed bass player in a garage rock band, Mr Cera once again embodies the classic nerd. He is stuck emotionally and is adorable, almost like a human version of Bambi.

Kieran Culkin steals the show in a very flamboyant manner as Scott’s room mate Wallace. Ellen Wong as Knives Chau, Scott’s younger girlfriend, is also outstanding as she simply redefines the term “clingy”. Among the evil exes the two that stand out most are Chris Evans as a movie star and Brandon Routh as a vegan.

The result is a Woody Allen film mixed with The Matrix and video game culture. The cool film is inundated with split screens, sub-titles and on screen graphics which turn the film into a hyper driven kind of reality. The battles in themselves give us a feel of an arcade game, with snappy interludes between one battle and the other. The film’s awareness of its target audience is spot on. Simply enjoyable, it’s good to be a nerd once again!