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By Pete Hammond

Put simply: Scott Pilgrim is a blast! The total package is a wildly comic journey into the head of a true original. If you are under 25 you will find all of it really, really funny. For those stick-in-the-mud oldies knocking on 30 and beyond it may be hit and miss, but it's their loss because this graphic novel adaptation about a guy pursuing the unobtainable girl of his dreams in pure kung fu fashion is a dizzying, dazzling, loud ride with a cast of characters you won't soon forget. If the choice for its targeted young demographic is Scott Pilgrim vs. anything else, go with Scott, dudes. It's a good time and should prove to be star Michael Cera's biggest hit in a while, eclipsing the sort of similar (if more pretentious) Nick And Nora's Infinite Playlist, which traversed the same young, singles, romantic landscape but without the half a dozen kickass fight scenes thrown in.

Director Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead) has managed something unique. He brings a pure comic book sensibility to a comic book movie with bright colors, kooky characters, hilarious onscreen dialogue and oddly pertinent truths about a generation born into texting but, like everyone else, longing for a human connection. It all revolves around Scott Pilgrim (Cera), an unemployed, likeable doofus who plays guitar for his band, Sex Bob-Omb and falls head-over-everything for the "girl of his dreams," the cutely named Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Ramona will become obtainable only after this meek 22 year old guy manages to summon his inner-Jackie Chan and dispatch her seven evil exes who are on their way to eliminate him. With the very large but (in Wright's hands) distinctive cast of characters that include vegan rock stars, skateboard/action movie stars and even a pair of twins, Scott knows that he must conquer them and his own insecurities before ever getting to first base with Ramona...Okay second base.

Cera's career isn't known for breaking new ground. Here, he's still playing the deadpan, slightly nerdy, amusing, loser-in-love, but he's perfectly cast and carries us successfully on his crazy journey. Winstead is equally dangerous and delicious as Ramona while other standouts in the large cast include Kieran Culkin as his all-knowing gay roommate, Chris Evans as a hilariously-braindead skateboard whiz turned film star, Anna Kendrick as his no-nonsense sister, Brie Larson as an ex-girlfriend who's heart Scott "kicked in the ass" and Alison Pill as the band's downbeat drummer. Superman Brandon Routh also has his moments as power-vegan bassist Todd Ingram, and the ever-amusing Jason Schwartzman goes for broke as the bad, bad leader of the League of Evil Exes.

The zippy pace set by Wright keeps this thing floating along until it becomes a little too frenetic in its final acts when Scott goes into full battle mode. Overall though, like its star, the film is genuinely bright and hilarious.

copyright 2010 Box Office Magazine

The Pilgrim’s progress

By James White

From the moment the Universal logo slides on screen in 8-bit, midi-melodic glory, you know that director Edgar Wright, a man who’s already claimed his place in the geek pantheon with such well-loved titles as Shaun Of The Dead and telly favourite Spaced, has stepped up his game even further.

When Wright had the first volume of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s idiosyncratic Scott Pilgrim pressed into his palm a few years ago, it was clearly love at first read: O’Malley’s quirksome, genre-twisting blend of manga, videogame culture, indie style and fresh spin on the age-old saga of boy meets girl was seemingly made for Wright to whip onto the screen with his trademark zeal.

And so it has come to pass, with this dazzling, energetic, sharp and endlessly engaging tale of a twentysomething emotional drifter who suddenly realises (when he meets the girl of his dreams and has to both step up and grow up to win her heart) that some things in life can’t be ignored, avoided or laughed off. Some have sniffed that Scott Pilgrim isn’t motored by real emotion, or that it’s simply a videogame brought to life. But that’s missing the point – here, we’re in Scott’s headspace, and sharing the unique way he views the world. He was raised on a diet of gaming, Star Wars, anime and thrift stores, and this is an extension of his inner life projected for all to see. The emotion is there, just presented in a new way. Just as a musical has its protagonists breaking into song to express their feelings, so Scott Pilgrim breaks into Mortal Kombat-style challenges between romantic rivals – a rom-combat, if you will. It’s also a giant metaphor for Scott’s evolution from self-satisfied slacker to more rounded man. And it works wonders, with graphics flying off the screen every which way, to an ear-wowing mixtape of electronic score and catchy music from the likes of Beck and Metric.

The casting of Michael Cera as the titular hero caused some raised eyebrows and furrowed brows when it was first announced, since while he’s demonstrated fine comic timing, he’s seemingly been locked in similar roles that do little to demonstrate any acting level beyond nervy emo worrier. Pilgrim pushes him a little further, and Cera digs deep to find the badass within. It’s not always a successful quest, but it does lead to a few moments where you watch him bring out different shades of the main character. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, meanwhile, is a sexy, strong Ramona Flowers (object of Scott’s affections).

But it’s in the ensemble where Pilgrim really shows its strength. The likes of Kieran Culkin (Scott’s gay conscience/room mate Wallace Wells), Aubrey Plaza (sarcastic and lethally sweary acquaintance Julie Powers), Ellen Wong (the dedicated girlfriend who sees her affections brushed off once Ramona enters the picture), Mark Webber (as Scott’s band mate Stephen Stills) and Allison Pill (enthusiastic drummer Kim Pine) are brilliantly cast and supremely funny. While Cera and Winstead are the meat of the film, they’re the spice.

Then there are Ramona’s evil exes, whom Scott must battle to get the girl. One or two (such as twins Kyle Katayanagi and Ken Katayanagi, played by Shota Saito and Keita Saito) are given shorter shrift in the drive to keep the movie moving, and others (such as Chris Evans’s Lucas Lee) aren’t on screen as long as they deserve to be. But that’s largely a matter of hewing closely to the comic – Lee really is only in a couple of scenes. But each character is worthwhile and the chosen actors play them to perfection, with Mae Whitman’s ninja lesbian Roxy and scene-stealing smoothie Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Graves particular highlights.

The movie cannily keeps a lot of what made the books an engaging read, while departing at the odd necessary juncture so that the story works just as well on screen as it does on the page. It’s all wrapped in astounding visuals shot by Matrix cinematographer Bill Pope, with the clashes erupting in neon madness and well-executed choreography that will have your blood pumping. Densely packed with so many touches that reward more than one visit, this is more than fried gold. It’s solid gold.

Copyright 2010 SFX Magazine