"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"

By Matt Duncan
Coastal View News

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is a cornucopia of creative impulses. Each scene of this highly innovative indie-nerd film is an eye-popping blend of the familiar and the exotic. Experiencing the effects and techniques employed in this movie is, simply put, a blast. So much so, in fact, that it is easy to blissfully ignore any of this movie’s flaws.

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera)—the geeky, twenty-something bass player for the Canadian band, Sex Bob-omb—is nice but naïve. He plays Dance Dance Revolution with as much dexterity and inspiration as he plays his guitar. He wears t-shirts with ironic messages that only die-hard video gamers would understand. He shares a bed with his gay roommate while also dating a high school girl. From the outside looking in, Pilgrim appears to be nothing more than a gentle pedestrian in a world with no sidewalks.

But from the inside looking out (which is the perspective of this movie), Scott Pilgrim is the superhero of his own consciousness. Other characters—both friend and foe—whirl in and out of his waking mind, but this world is somehow his world. He is the center of the universe and the master of his own fate. He earns points for beating bosses, he sustains damage when thwarted and he stoically faces the most epic of dramas.

For most of his life, Pilgrim’s exploits have been limited to the elementary stages of life, through which any newbie could navigate. However, when Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)—a hip chick worthy of princess status—ambles on screen, Pilgrim quickly realizes that full strength will be required for her notice. In particular, Ramona has seven evil exes with whom Pilgrim must do battle. Only after conquering each bit of fearsome baggage can Pilgrim hope to lay claim to Ramona’s heart.

Pilgrim reluctantly makes his way through Ramona’s exes. Each ex poses a new threat and thus evokes new powers from Pilgrim. For instance, Pilgrim summons uncommon agility and great Kung Foo to defeat Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha), Ramona’s first kiss. Humility and intelligence are needed to crush Lucas Lee (Chris Evans), Ramona’s rough-and-tumble fling from the past. As Pilgrim conquers each of Ramona’s increasingly intimidating exes, he begins to see an ever so dim light at the end of the tunnel. But before he can win the girl, he must channel even more formidable powers and be willing to lose it all.

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is filled with a constant barrage of videogame themes, cultural icons and fantasy stereotypes. Everything from Zelda to Tekken to Seinfeld is referenced. The audience’s focus is thus bounced around like a pinball, and it is impossible to get set in any particular mindset. Needless to say, viewing this movie is chaotic in a certain way. But fortunately, the chaos fits; it all makes sense; it feels natural. Pilgrim’s consciousness is embellished as if it were all a dream (and who’s to say it isn’t?), but his darting awareness is on pace with any love-struck romantic with an eye toward winning someone over.

The animation and quirky effects of this movie are enough to win an audience over, but there is more to this film than glitter. Michael Cera is, as always, very funny. His understated and awkward persona meshes perfectly with his character. In fact, it is hard to imagine this movie without Cera. It is also interesting to draw parallels between Pilgrim’s fantasy world and what goes on (or is going on) in the real world. The symbolism may have come across as too obvious if it was not shrouded in so many flashes and bangs, but it is intriguing nonetheless.

The story hiding beneath the story is one of this movie’s few flaws. Once all of the fantastic outer layers are peeled back, we see a mundane and confusing narrative that is well short of compelling. However, it is all too easy to shrug one’s shoulders here, as the virtues of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” far outweigh its vices.