MOVIE REVIEW - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Blurb Review


A hilarious, visual treat, Scott Pilgrim will find a certain appeal in the 20-something invested in the gaming culture and still struggling to "grow up." Others, however, might not have as much fun with the movie (though they would certainly still find parts of it hilarious).

Full Review


Scott Pilgrim vs The World is freaking fantastic. I've been struggling with this review for about a week now, and I am still having problems figuring out what to say. Here's what I'll say, with bullet-points and stuff.

- It's the first "video game" movie. Remember how shows like Sin City tried to make movies look like comic books. Scott Pilgrim does this, except with video games, and it works perfectly.

- The movie has tons of videogame references. However, they do them smart. In other movies (probably from other directers/writers that aren't the same dude who did Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) the little side-jokes would be the main attention. Not here. They are just there as bonus content for those who get it. If you don't, the movie is still great.

- My biggest worry about this movie was that I'd go in, get all the jokes, and just cringe. Let's be honest: the video game nerd culture isn't exactly the most...respected on the planet. We are typecast as loser virgins who eat cheetos, drink energy drinks, and bask in the glow of computer screens late into the night. It makes laughing at movies made for us hard. This worry, however, was stupid. The movie never goes too far, ever. And, even in parts where it got close, it knew it was going completely overboard, and made a joke on it. The movie was delightfully self-aware, but still managed to keep that balance. This is hard to explain, just know it works, even though it has every reason in the world that it shouldn't.

- If you don't know much about video games, you might still enjoy the movie. If you know a decent amount, you'll have a great time. If you are a video game nerd, this is like the best movie ever. No joke. If you love games and haven't seen this movie, turn in your nerd card. This is mandatory now, like Firefly.

- As a movie, it was very funny, very bright, had a style that was completely irresistible, and extremely clever. I'd expect no less from Edgar Wright (again, the dude made Shaun of the Dead, one of the funniest and wittiest movies ever made). Even as just a movie, it was head and shoulders above most stuff that comes out.

- I can easily say that, as a movie-going experience, it bests almost anything I've seen in the last several years. I think the last time I enjoyed just watching a movie this much was Thank You For Smoking, back in 2007. Seriously, it's so great.

You don't need to know any more. Go watch this movie. Support filmmaking like this: bold, cutting edge, and completely unique. Do it. It's so good.