Scott Pilgrim V.S. The World
Director: Edgar Wright.
Starring: Micheal Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans.
Scott Pilgrim V.S. The World is a rushed film that often feels like it's much, much less than it could be. Edgar Wright steps away from a truly original directorial style to go mainstream with Scott Pilgrim, and the result is a rushed movie that panders too much to the video game and comic book crowd.
Micheal Cera plays Scott Pilgrim, a geeky, jobless loser living with his gay friend in Toronto. Striving toward his youth, he begins dating a 17 year old high school girl, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong.) He drags Chau along until he meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) at a party. He immediately becomes infatuated with Ramona and decides to abandon Chau to pursue her. Flowers is aloof to his advances, but when she finally warms to him, he realizes he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. Scott takes on the challenge to win Ramona's heart.
Now, I might have some major people disagreeing with me, but let me clarify a few things. I'm not a gamer, or a comic book lover, really. I don't have any problem with either thing, but it's just never been my thing. So this film felt like a celebration of all the things that I don't really identify with. It's fast, fun, and involving to a gaming audience, and it just kind of flies by the rest of us. Wright used his distinctive editing style and surrealist qualities to great effect in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, but in Scott Pilgrim, it was overused and at the same time underdeveloped. It might have to do more with Wright's reputation than the film itself, but Scott Pilgrim has been hailed as a hallmark of the “ADD” culture that we live in. Really? Since when are we branding our culture after a deficit disorder? I think we sell ourselves short constantly in Hollywood. Our culture likes mindless action flicks and can't pay attention to an actual story, so we need to pander to that brand and change the quality of our films, right? I disagree. I think we should constantly challenge ourselves with the films that we make. If this is what defines our culture, obnoxiously fast editing that wears out its welcome, fast and flashy video game gimmick visuals (yes, that's what it is, a gimmick) then I'm kind of scared for the future! Wright's direction is unique, yes. It's certainly entertaining and fun, but does it define the age that I live in for me? I don't think so.
The acting is nothing special either. Micheal Cera stars as....Micheal Cera. He portrays the same character that he portrays in every movie. He's awkward, he's gangly, an he hasn't quite hit puberty yet. He's interested in some girl who is aloof at first, but later falls in love with him. Are you asleep yet? This character is really getting tiresome, and it's not going to work commercially forever. Micheal Cera is a one trick pony. Winstead as the love interest is adequate enough, but her character is one-dimensional as well. She's a standoffish bitch who does what she wants but then has that one soft spot, that one weakness that allows the story to progress. The shining light of the cast is Kieran Culkin, who plays Pilgrim's gay roommate Wallace Wells, an acts as a witty and sarcastic spiritual guide for Scott. Culkin's charisma and overwhelming charm helped make this a somewhat entertaining experience for me. Ellen Wong is dreadfully obnoxious as Pilgrim's high school girlfriend Knives Chau. Scott Pilgrim, ultimately, made me laugh, but it annoyed more than anything.
Score: 6.5/10
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