Rating: 4 / 5
The average guy Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is bassist for the band Sex Bob-Omb and he’s just meeting his dream girl, Romona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winsted). However, their relationship proves tricky as Flower’s sinister seven ex-boyfriends plot to get rid of it.
After Edgar Wright had erected a monument to staging at the beginning of his career, and already with his first film (ignoring his low-budget debut) Shaun of the Dead (2004) exceeded the standards of many things, in 2010 he produced an equally intensely entertaining citation work. The question of work or quote, which was to become the sole criterion for success in the mid-2010s, also arises at the beginning of Scott Pilgrim vs. the Rest of the World. Because what is actually decisive in the film is not the story here. It can probably be explained in a few sentences and if that weren’t the whole absurdity that underlies the story, nobody would probably be interested in why Scott now has to literally fight the ex-boyfriends of his beloved. This could be decisive for many who are not satisfied with a pure meta work. Love and teen stuff. This is perhaps how you could break this film down, and you wouldn’t be wrong in saying that, from a cinematic point of view, adolescence of course rarely receives any fundamental respect.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World trailer
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there is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World but maybe a lot more than just quoting. A lot of films like that can do that Star Wars-Prove Disney productions. Today, a selling point for a movie seems to be that it’s like a movie that’s already out there, and in most cases it’s either way better than its descendant, or way more overrated than its reputation might suggest. But this film also quotes and yet you could say he did it on a level that is both enjoyable and creative at the same time. Because the film can hardly be grasped in terms of genre alone, because it wanders back and forth between coming-of-age, love or action film, as well as comedy and always offers these moments of pure surprise. One could now argue that this is a sham and that the joke would run itself out after repeated telling, but Edgar Wright is by no means mere style over substance. Because the focus of his films are always quirky and lovable characters who hardly have to put in any effort to entertain the viewer. There is also Scott Pilgrim vs. the World a film that, like the Cornetto trilogy, works humorously on many levels. Be it as a genre persiflage, be it with dialogues, be it through slapstick. The film manages to offer a range and abundance of humor that can only be found in many comedies with a magnifying glass.
At the same time, the film also bows to media in general by adopting settings from comics, anime or video games that seem grotesque in places and mastering their visualization perfectly. It is precisely here that the film runs the risk of losing credibility. But the film doesn’t suffer from it at all and also has something left for topics that films often fail at. That’s how he treats his viewers with respect and doesn’t derive his sense of humor from exposing any subcultures. All along, through his clever script, Wright conveys that he’s a nerd and, while not unironically great at a close look, finds all these things great, but also has a love for these different mediums. In addition, the film also seems to deviate from classic Hollywood storytelling due to its meta level, in that the finale in particular seems rather atypical for the dream factory. In this way, Wright also succeeds in returning to the genre of youth films in the style of John Hughes, and in doing so, placing the focus on the rather calm, but more human in stark contrast to the visual violence.
At the same time, the film breaks with classic stigmas because its main character also comes across as atypical. So it may be shocking at first, but films deliberately play with the idea of superhumans, whose mere appearance is intended to suggest the so-called crown of creation to the viewer. That’s not too bad at first, because the film has always played with clichés. However, Wright chooses a clever path here, declaring Scott Pilgrim to be the average, if not less than attractive, hero of his film. So Michael Cera already united in Juno (2007) doesn’t necessarily have classic sex appeal, but definitely a certain attraction that makes Scott Pilgrim a lady’s charm in this film as well and thus an anti-cliché. Cera plays it just as well because he wanders through his own scenes so calmly and almost statically. His appearance is not equipped with any power and not really special. The film breaks something with the basic idea when it comes to the character of Chris Evans, whereby the film loses a bit of its credibility in this matter. Just as great as Cera is Ramona, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who fills a more classic role here, but can score with meaningful looks and a certain superiority. You then want to learn more about her, because she behaves like a classic, elusive rebel in the scenes given to her.
It is particularly exciting that the film would run the risk of appearing outdated very quickly by taking up such special topics, but because Wright does not assign his film technically completely specific, the entire work remains vivid and timeless at the same time. The music and visual effects seem just as well placed as the dialogues. That could be considered manipulative, but it is precisely from this that the scenes draw their creativity and thus their appeal.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a fan film come true that commands fundamental respect from its viewers. Respect for the kind of media he satirizes in places, which is why the entire work is a meta-machine. At the same time, the pure story may have nothing significant about it, and yet it’s the oddities and characters that make the film so pleasantly lively and thus make it a truly amazing work.
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