SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (USA 2010) ***
Directed by Edgar Wright

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD is a 6 series comic book film adaptation centering on slacker hero Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) who hails from Toronto.  He dreams and falls in love with Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) though he is seeing a local 17-year old high school student, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong).  His lead in a band Sex Bob-omb and his sarcastic gay roommate, Wallace (Kieran Culkin) provide the distractions for the film.  The centre of the film is the battles Scott has with Ramona’s 6 exes. 

The fight sequences are hilarious and exciting, full of digital special effects.  Cera took 8 weeks of fight training with the result of his kicks and punches looking realistic.  But most of the fights are choreographed using stunt doubles with the real actors edited in.

What the film suffers from is the lack of a strong narrative.  Director Wright’s previous films SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ did not really need one.  In SCOTT PILGRIM, story-telling is replaced of lots of fight scenes and segments with quick edits.  This should not disappoint comic book fans but who really cares if Scott Pilgrim loses a fight with the exes, as the romantic bond between Scott and Ramona was never really built up in the first place.  In the comic book, Ramona can travel into Scott’s mind and dreams thus, making him totally vulnerable to her.

The rock songs performed by the bands in the films are authentic and memorable enough, being written by rock stars like Beck, Marc Bolan, Broken Social Scene and the Canadian group Metric. 

The City of Toronto hopes that this film will promote the city’s tourist industry.  There is seldom a film like this one which is shot in Toronto, set in Toronto and praises the city.  Torontonians will even be pleased watching the familiar colours of the bus seats on a segment shot on the bus.  Other sites like Casa Loma are not just there for there’s sake but plays a part in the story.  One of the exes, Lucas Lee (Chris Evans from FANTASTIC FOUR and THE LOSERS) demolishes himself skateboarding on the steps to the castle and the bands perform at a famous local joint called Lee’s Palace.  As the film summarizes the six series of the comic book, other world famous sites like Dundas Square and Honest Ed’s have been sadly left out.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD moves fast enough with sharp dialogue and fast edit sequences that will keep comic book audiences smiling.