By Megg Ward
While it is widely known that sound waves can’t battle one another, people also don’t burst into a thousand of coins when they’re punched especially hard. And Michael Cera is definitely too scrawny to take on any muscly man in tight clothes.
Throughout the one-hundred twelve minute comedy-action film, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, all notions of believability are safely tucked away.
Based on the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the film follows the novels closely, spanning the six issue series. Scott Pilgrim, the protagonist of the story played by Michael Cera, is a twenty-three year old slacker and bass guitarist for the band “Sex Bob-omb” who lives in Toronto with his “cool gay roommate” Wallace Wells, portrayed by Kieran Culkin.
When the film begins, Pilgrim is dating high school student Knives Chau, played by Ellen Wong, causing a small uproar among his friends at the scandal. Shortly after, Pilgrim begins dreaming of a girl with bright colored hair whom he’s never met. The girl turns out to be Ramona V. Flowers. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays this mysterious American delivery girl, and Pilgrim is immediately infatuated. However, Ramona openly declares herself difficult to date because of her seven evil exes.
Directed by Edgar Wright of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, the film is brilliantly over-the-top, drawing influences from both graphic novel and video games. Styled as a journey through a classic video game, the film is complete with informative side notes, emotive cartoons, stick figure representations and epic fight scenes. The end result is a riotous audience experience that keeps the crazy scenes coming.
Led by such a well-known actor as Michael Cera, the rest of the cast of Pilgrim succeeds at the task of making these fantastical scenes seem nonchalant. Standout performances come from Ellen Wong, whose facial expressions and attitudes make her believable as an obsessive teenager. Meanwhile, Winstead’s performance as object of adoration is both smart and approachable, portraying a sense of grounded coolness that adds attraction to her character. Fans of Cera’s other work will definitely recognize his offbeat humor and awkward characteristics, but may also note a bit more strength and definition as Pilgrim.
The film’s most notable feature, however, is its cinematography. The apparently seamless marriage of cartoon and game elements with stylized film photography results in a distinct, youthful aesthetic. Sound-wave monsters, fiery swords and super-powered vegans are all deftly created via special effects, steering clear of the line between comical and cheesy.
While Pilgrim has been slightly disappointing at the box office, finishing fifth on its first weekend and dropping to the bottom of the top ten by the second weekend, the film is still fun and youthful, boasting gorgeous special effects and a storyline that is both comical and haltingly unreal. In any case, if found with a few hours of extra time, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a great film to see with a group of friends, especially if those friends were ever into classic Nintendo.
