I’ve never read any of the Scott Pilgrim comics, and I’ve never played the game, so I don’t know how this movie works as an adaptation. I have to take it on its own merits, and let me say, I dig it.
I watched this movie some time ago and enjoyed it. I decided on a re-watch now to reacquaint myself with the work Edgar Wright has done without Simon Pegg, since Pegg’s work without Wright has been…well, to be charitable, I haven’t enjoyed it much. They're together again now, with their new movie (The World's End) in theaters next month. Of course, my principal preparation for that will be Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and a Spaced marathon, but Scott Pilgrim seemed like a necessary warm-up as well. The reason is that this movie makes two things perfectly clear: 1) Wright and Pegg are better together, and 2) if you’re only gonna have one, make it Wright.
This movie is nowhere near as good as Shaun or Spaced, obviously, since nothing in the whole world is. But it’s still a damned good time, very much on par with Hot Fuzz. Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim himself) isn’t as entertaining a leading man as Pegg, but I like Cera and don’t really get the backlash against him, though to be fair he hasn’t really had a chance to wear out his welcome with me, since I’ve only seen him in this and Arrested Development. But I think he’s got a certain charm and a solid comic delivery. I admit that by the end of the movie his lack of chin was beginning to bother me, but otherwise I was happy with him.
I’m a little hot and cold on Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona), and my view of her changes not only film to film but scene to scene. One minute I adore her, and the next I can't stand her. I’m not sure what it is about her; I just can’t seem to latch on, one way or the other, but certainly there are moments in this film where I totally get why Scott's so hooked on her.
The evil exes were okay. The cameos by the Human Torch (evil ex #2) and Superman (evil ex #3) were interesting mostly because they are who they are. Satya Bhabha is okay as Matthew Patel, evil ex #1, but what I really liked about that scene was the "Demon Hipster Chick" that multiplied all around him. That was a pretty cool effect. Mae Whitman also did a decent job as Roxy Richter (evil ex #4), but her character was a bit of a jokey stereotype. And then the Japanese twins (evil exes 5&6) never really get any characterization at all. I never really got caught up in any of them, but then, you don't have a lot of time to, do you? They show up and get turned to coins pretty quickly, except for Jason Schwartzman. He's a very effective Big Bad, and it does feel pretty good when Scott (and Ramona and Knives) finally take him down. Annoying little prick.
Anna Kendrick (Scott’s sister) is always worth watching, even when whatever she’s in totally isn’t (which is usually the case). She’s a better actress than she ever gets credit for. I’ve never seen Ellen Wong in anything else, but she’s almost the class of the supporting cast, and totally pulls off playing 17 at 25. I really liked her as Knives, though I’m glad they went with the ending they did instead of the one where Scott ends up with her. It’s just more satisfying, and anyway, I think it would damage her character if, after learning to assert herself, she had taken him back. Scott’s bandmates are good, too, and I found myself wanting to attend a Sex Bob-Omb show, or at least to hang out and get drunk with them. The scenes where they all just hang out and either jam or say stupid things to each other are great.
And as for Kieran Culkin's performance as Wallace, well, more on him at the end.
Wright’s really the star of the film, though. In the first place, he co-wrote it with Michael Bacall. It’s a solid script, with plenty of funny moments and a few good semi-serious ones, but no actually serious ones (which would not have suited the mood of the film at all). I really like the bit where Scott is dead, and the bit where Ramona delivers him the package, and the bit with the tea. Especially well-written are Kendrick's and Culkin’s lines, moreso even than Cera’s.
And Wright's direction is very strong, as well. He does so many interesting things with this movie visually, from the evil exes turning into coins when Scott defeats them, to the crazy Mortal Kombat-like action, to the transitions from one scene to the next. The fights are well-put-together, which is as it should be. It turns out that Wright’s fight coordinator and stunt coordinator are both veterans of Jackie Chan movies. And of course if there’s one thing you can count on with an Edgar Wright project, it’s that he’s taken a lot of care with the music. The film looks great and sounds great; more than that, it doesn’t look like any other film. It isn’t at the same level as, say, Inception visually, I don't mean to say that, but it is very much its own picture, and it’s sure nice to look at. And, as is also typical of Wright’s films, it’s never in a hurry and it's never boring.
Anyway, I find that I liked this more on a second watch, and might actually buy a copy of it. In fact, I think I'll put it on again right now. And I am now totally psyched for The World's End.
BEST THING ABOUT THE FILM: Kieran Culkin. I assume he’s related to that annoying kid from that ridiculously over-praised movie (although he looks more like Daniel Radcliffe than he does the other guy), but I don’t care. His is the performance that really stands out. The snarky gay roommate has become a bit of a trope, and it’s often a bit tired, but Culkin is excellent. Every word, every expression on his face, he gets every drop out of. I was far more in love with him than I ever was with Ramona.
WORST THING ABOUT THE FILM:
PUNCH THE AIR MOMENT: "We are Sex Bob-Omb and we're here to watch Scott Pilgrim kick your teeth in! One-two-three-four!" I have a small crush on Kim (Alison Pill).
SCORE: 7/10, but I expect it'll gain another star upon further re-watches.
LISTS: #14 on my Favorites of the Teens (so far)
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