I have a confession. A dirty little secret.
I read the books.
I read the books before I saw the Scott Pilgrim movie. And I’m going to be honest with you, it impairs my ability to review this movie on its merits alone. I just cannot help but compare what I saw to the books. So feel free to ignore everything I say here, but I will try my best.
It’s a shame, really, because Scott Pilgrim is an extensive story spanning 6 volumes, some of which could stand as a credible mini-movie all on their own. This means the film has to discard so much of the story because it needs to cover most of Volume 1 for your set-up and introduction and Volume 6 to give you your ending. There was simply no time for Volumes 2-5. They were translated to the big screen as mere shells of their literary selves, the heart and story ripped out of them and presented as a mere succession of fight scenes. It’s a shame because the best story and character development is within these volumes. Without that the movie had to become its own thing.
It did. And, man, it did it well.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World took the heart of what the books were about (the meta-plot, if you want) and ran away with it. It’s a movie that knows its world is absurd and embraces it. The phenomenon of subspace highways or how Scott can use an extra life when he dies are never explained, but you don’t care. It’s a video game world based on ours. Things just happen, and they’re fun. And that’s what this movie is all about.
Scott Pilgrim could almost be classified as a comedy. It’s a very funny film that’s not only absurd, but slyly mocks a lot of things in contemporary culture, and even mocks itself. The most satisfying moments for me were seeing jokes that would only have worked in the book taken and twisted for the movie and still emerged just as brilliant.
But that was just the start. Edgar Wright really went off and did his own thing for this one. Not just for jokes, but for plot. Much of what happens in Scott Pilgrim would not make much sense without the relevant sub-plots, but Wright makes up for all this with some imaginative storytelling of his own. Towards the second half of this film it becomes a different beast entirely. And unlike a lot of film adaptions, it’s just as funny and just as brilliant as the book. +1,000 EXP
The visuals in the film are great too. In a world where defeated enemies turn to coins and people produce swords from their chests when they level up, CGI gets employed a lot. Visually, the video game element of this world is convincing and eye-pleasing, with an amusing blend of high tech CGI and pixelated retro graphics. It’s all celebrated in some very impressive fights towards the end of the film. And you don’t have to see it in 3D either. That’s always a plus.
With all that said, there were times that the movie did still feel a bit rushed, jumping from one fight to another. And the characters did not get a lot of time to develop. While I had my doubts about the cast before seeing the film, they were entertaining. However, they still weren’t played with the depth that I would have liked to have seen from them. Ramona, especially, seemed stuck with a ‘dismissive cool girl’ persona, and I was disappointed when scenes that showed her more human side were re-written to maintain this in the movie.
But even with those setbacks I still found Scott Pilgrim an innovative, imaginative and hilarious film. I doubt it will win any Oscars, but who cares? It’s fresh. It’s funny. It’s one of the most entertaining movies of the year. What more do you want?
And you thought I was going to bash it.
Now go read the books!
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If you are interested in the books and own an iPhone or Android (and soon, an iPad) in the UK, download Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little App. It’s a fun, unique comic reader with a social community and unlockable secrets. Also, you can download the books for half the price of their paperback counterparts. Nice!
this post should be printed out and installed on every theatre in paris