FSU Student Life Cinema

After seeing this movie, all I have to say that I was impressed. Director Edgar Wright and Michael Cera in the title role have really pulled off an extremely faithful adaption of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comic series that both fans and newcomers alike are sure to enjoy. For those who are not familiar with the story of Scott Pilgrim, it goes a little something like this. Scott Pilgrim is a 22 year old guy living in Toronto, Canada. He’s the bass player in his band Sex Bob-Omb, lives in crappy apartment with his gay roommate, and is dating a high school girl by the name of Knives Chau. But Scott Pilgrim’s precious little life is turned upside down when he meets the mysterious Ramona Flowers who he immediately falls in love with. So he dumps his high school girlfriend and begins dating Ramona. But before the two can live happily ever after , Scott must first do battle with Ramona’s seven evil exes in a fight to the death.

One of the most impressive things about this film would be the visuals. The way that words like “Smack” and “POW” pop out at you from the screen really give it the feeling that this a comic book brought to life. All the fight scenes are exceptionally impressive and are presented in Mortal Kombat styled death matches in which the loser of the fight suffers the horrible fate of bursting into a flurry of coins. Wright does a really good job of incorporating both the comic book and video game aspects of O’Malley’s series into the film which is very welcoming for fans of the books. From the 8-bit Universal logo that opens up the film, to the music from the Legend of Zelda that plays during one of Scott’s dreams. All the little video game references sprinkled throughout the film are all things that anyone who grew up with the classic 8-bit NES games such as Super Mario Bros will enjoy.

Cera does a descent job of portraying the film’s hero. All the little quirky lines from the graphic novels are all pulled off without a hitch, and Cera’s mannerism in the film matches what readers of the series would expect Scott Pilgrim’s to be. But the most impressive thing about Cera’s performance would be the fight scenes. After watching him dodge a flurry of fireballs and take out a gang of stunt doubles, it’s hard to believe that Michael Cera also played geeky teenagers in movies like Superbad and Juno. Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s performance as the mysterious Ramona flowers is also exceptional. Just like Cera’s, Winstead’s personality in the film matches that of the Romona Flowers in the comics, and just as she is in the comics.

If there was one negative thing to say about the film, it would be that a few big scenes from the comics were left out in the film, and a few things were switched around, and would make anyone who is a loyal fan of the series will find a bit disappointing. But given the fact that Wright had only a two hour time to squeeze in six graphic novels, this can easily be forgiven, as everything that was added to the movie worked well and kept the feel of the comics. The chemistry between Pilgrim and Flowers was not as strong as one would think, but since the passion in their realtionship seems to be a bit lacking, while the fight visuals are soamazing, it is easy to forget what it is exactly that Scott is fighting for.

Overall, this movie is exceptionally amazing that any fan of the series as well as any newcomer may find enjoyable, the breathtaking visuals and the quirky dialogue all work in perfect harmony to make this film truly memorable.

Rating: Awesome

J.R