Live From My Bedroom

Hey, guys. As I walked into Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, I promised myself I wasn't going to just sit there and mutter "The books were better." under my breath, over and over for the duration of the movie. I decided that my interpretation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's characters was just that; I wouldn't act like some weirdo fanboy and jump up yelling, "Scott wouldn't do/say/eat that!" every time Michael Cera slipped out of character and acted like....well, Michael Cera. I would let the movie be itself and judge it with a clear conscience and a fair shake, unbiased by my burning, obsessive love for the comic books of the same name....*twitch*.....*twitch*

Scott Pilgrim doesn't wear wristbands. Why did you have to wear wristbands? Why is that your thing? Damn it.

Ok, that's really it though. I actually did like Michael Cera's Scott. Now I will review the *movie* like a level-headed hooman and not some lunatic nerd. Allow me to break it on down.

-Breakdown-

Visuals/Special Effects: For The Win (Level: >9000)

Casting/Character Portrayal: I See What You Did There (Level: 75)

Video Game References: Kind of Want (Level: 30)

Music/Soundtrack: ZOMGOMGOMG (Level: 777)

You have to see this movie. Wait, before I geek out and tell you how great it is, let me draw a comparison. This will be the worst thing I have to say about the movie (and possibly my only negative criticism.) Think about the word "awesome." What does it mean? Exactly. You don't even care anymore. It's been taken. Douchey teenagers have swallowed up the word, and turned it into a sound. Calling anything "awesome" has lost all meaning to them: a knee-jerk reaction to label anything out of the ordinary. It's chewed-out, used up, played. And for that reason, you have lost interest in it as well.

On that note, it's hard to respect the plot line of SPvTW. A self-proclaimed "Epic of epic epicness," there is little room for decent writing or coherent development. Any scene that could be used to house a pithy retort or a concise revelation is instead swapped out for stupid, boyish rhetoric or an intentionally hokey pun. You almost expect it to cut to Kim Pine and a "ba-dum-chhh" on the drums. For me, this movie could have been a 10 with better writing. Granted, it's hilarious when Scott strikes out with Ramona the first time he talks to her and I was all about Todd Ingram's weak-ass trash talk, but to have Scott wiff during a pivotal scene where he's supposed to *get it*? The movie really hinges on the action, and I guess you could just take it as Scott being Scott (a doofus). But, it seems like such cheesey writing betrays a deliberate trade-off between cartoonish action and a legitimate script. I don't see why they didn't try for both.

Maybe they knew kids were going to stamp the movie as "awesome" either way. So, why even try? They never really hit the nail on the head (they just hit it really hard.) Moral of the story: expand your vocabulary. Things can be more than just "awesome" and "not awesome." I think parts of this movie banked on that inability to discriminate...Although, all in all: it was pretty fucking awesome.

First off: the music. With Beck stepping in whenever Kim Pine counts off Sex Bob-omb, Metric lending "Black Sheep" as The Clash at Demonhead's single, and Broken Social Scene in the corner for Crash and The Boys, the musical scenes were freaking sweet. I expected a little more (any) 8-bit music. They did make the Universal logo/theme all 8-bit and chip-tune in the beginning, but where the hell was Anamanaguchi?...what?...in the video game? Oh, right.

And it wasn't just the actual, rad music that flowed perfectly with the comic-action. I swear I heard the Zelda Fairy Fountain theme when Scott stepped out of the bathroom to find himself in subspace. The bands set the tone for many of the battles, but there was a bunch of chill background music for non-fighting scenes as well.

The movie is edited extremely well. The plot action flows seamlessly in and out of the boss fights. My friend Marissa commented that it had a certain Run Lola Run feel to it. And it wasn't just Ramona's hair. I totally agreed. Like the way Lola remembers how to take the safety off the gun from exploits in another reality, Scott's ability to recall past mistakes is totally mirrored by the crafty strip-style scene cuts. Particularly in the beginning of the movie, there are some very clever setting/scene changes. Scott's surroundings mimic his life. Everything just kind of runs together; Scott floats in and out. Michael Cera does a terrific job conveying Scott's perfect inability to comprehend the world that revolves around him. Up until the first fight, you feel like you're just being stylishly dragged around. Things snap into focus and Scott checks in when he fights Matthew Patel. I like that the editing dictates/changes with the mood of the action. It's pretty sleek.

I've already written so much. I should probably stop. The main thing to remember is that the movie was made to blow your mind. I can't say it really did that on an intellectual level, but maybe it's not supposed to. Maybe it's supposed to be a stupid story about a boy who gets into a fight...an awesome fight.

You should check out the video game (scored by ANAMANAGUCHI) and download Metric's "Black Sheep."



Boss Fights (in order of favorite to least favorite)

1 & 2. Kyle Katayanagi and Ken Katayanagi
3. Matthew Patel
4. Todd Ingram
5. Gideon
6. Roxy
7. Lucas Lee