Dir: Edgar Wright
To describe Scott Pilgrim vs the World is to define the word “Allegory”, so I won't. I'll just assume you know it or at least have access to a dictionary. What I will do instead is explain why it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. No... that won't work either, because it would take too little space and I want this review to span some time. I might as well get it out of the way though, so... Scott Pilgrim vs the World is one of the best movies I have ever seen because it is very cool. See, didn't take much time at all. Damn! How should I go about doing this?? I just saw the movie a few minutes ago, so it hasn't even sunk in... I think I should just... oh, wait... its coming to me... I almost... AH. There it is.
To watch the trailer for this movie... the myriad of trailers I should say, sadly opens the door much to wide for this movie, and I went into it knowing much more than I wished I had. It is a movie that opens doors, which just so happens to be one of the many allegorical points within this revelationary and revolutionary film. I went to the film knowing it would be filled to overflowing with pop-culture Now-ness. I went in knowing it was based on a comic book and would display scenes with a comic book flair. I went in knowing it was going to use the language of this new millennium, with all of its thought and culture and attitude. Once in a while a movie defines a generation, and from the trailers I knew Scott Pilgrim vs the World would be the next defining film. I exited the film knowing the trailers had said too much, sad that they revealed more than necessary, wishing this film had been allowed to stand on its own merits. Really, the marketing strategy is the only beef I have with this piece of art.
The film is about a young man of this, til now undefined yet distinct generation. He falls in love with a woman of this undefined yet distinct generation. They both have baggage that must be sorted through before they can come together fully. In this, the movie tells a story that is ancient. How it is told, however, deftly defines this generation.
Scott Pilgrim is played by Michael Cera, who has settled himself into the everyman role with grace, characteristic unease, and comedic timing that is unrivaled. Scott is in a band, who are on the verge of becoming really good. He falls for a woman, played by the mysterious Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who has a “League of Evil Ex's” out to destroy her newest love interest. Scott ends up facing each member of Ramona's past dalliances, overcoming her baggage, winning her heart, and finding his self-respect along the way. The way it is told combines all the pop-culture that is at the heart of this new millennium, from super-hero, Manga-style super-powers to text messaging, video games, and shifting hair-styles. The screen is filled with fight-scenes taken straight from comics, sound effects that ping and pop as video games are wont to do, and a driving musical score that should win an Oscar and a Grammy and a million downloads from itunes. The characters are crisp and indifferent while being sincere and supportive. Scott is both weak and powerful, broken and conquering, clever and dumb as a bag of hammers.
I watched the film enjoying the many on-screen video-game references spell out the underlying social commentary with a huge smile on my face. Using a medium that is at once shallow and vapid to define the tumultuous undercurrents of social interplay is nothing short of genius; and though it is pervasive the director somehow keeps it as backdrop to the story. Even when the fight-scenes break out and the screen is filled with swords and level-up counters, the message and heart of the story somehow stays in the foreground.
Scott Pilgrim is just another generational film, and we have seen those before. From “Hard Days Night”, “Easy Rider” and “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” to “Empire Records” and “Napoleon Dynamite” we have seen the declarations of the current generation be spelled out in the language of the times. Scott Pilgrim is no different. Oh, it is very different, don't get me wrong, it is just also the same. It won't work for the people who don't understand the language, but that is also why it works. It knows the language, speaks it with the proper diction of the times, using the inflection of a generation to retell a story that will always transcend the ages. It pwns noobs and leets alike while showcasing bff's, and lvl-ups the hero til he rescues both himself and the princess from the final boss.
My suggestion is to watch it with your kids so they can translate.
I completely agree with your complaint about the previews. The studios seem to create an inverse relationship between their trust for a movie's success and the length/detail of previews. If they don't trust a movie, I expect to see too much in the preview. If they think a movie is going to be a guaranteed success, I may never see it because the preview says too little to engage me. Thank the gods for Netflix.
ReplyDelete