"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" Review

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a bit of a hard movie to describe. It is, essentially, a comic book and a video game, combined into one and brought into the real world. Sound effects are both heard and shown via speech balloons. Chapter titles appears between most scenes. Over-the-top sound effects occur with each hit in the fight sequences. The backgrounds are littered with captions that describe the plot, and various power-ups are used to convey plot concepts.

Essentially, it's a geek's wet dream, and this is carried over into the production of the film; the director is Edgar Wright, director of Shaun of the Dead, and the titular character is played by Michael Cera, best known for his roles in Arrested Development and Juno.

Scott Pilgrim ("rating: awesome") is a geeky 20-something living with his "cool gay roomate Wallace" in Toronto, Canada. Life seems good- he's the bassist of a rock band called "Sex Bob-omb", he's not currently working, and he's dating a high school girl named Knives Chau, who's almost creepily smitten with him. But that changes when Scott meets Ramona Flowers, and Amazon.ca delivery girl who's quite literally the girl of his dreams. But winning Ramona's heart will be even more difficult than expected- Scott must first defeat her 7 evil exes (6 ex-boyfriends, 1 ex-girlfriend- "It was just a phase!").

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World boasts some of the most engaging and exciting action sequences in years. The fights are highly stylized, with colorful special effects, comically impossible feats, and a healthy sense of humor- One baddie is somehow able to summon "demon hipster chicks" that exist solely to be his backup dancers for a musical number, and another is defeated by making him violate his vegan diet.

Edgar Wright is known for creating films with a quirky and somewhat bizarre sense of humor, making him one of the better choices to adapt Bryan Lee O'Malley's comic, and he does his job well. The main cast is also superb, particularly Cera, who has finally broken away from his usual "awkward teenager" character; Scott Pilgrim is in his early 20's, actually tries to be funny (though it's still rather awkward) and is surprisingly adept at fighting bad guys (he must have learned it from Double Dragon and Street Fighter II). Another highlight is Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona, a sarcastic and somewhat distant girl who (as she puts it) has "dabbled in being a bitch".

Despite my fairly conventional review, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is definitely not a conventional film, as it has a style all it's own that's hard to describe in print. It would be best if you just saw it for yourself- which you definitely should.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World collects 100 coins and receives an

Awesome!