When I first saw a preview for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, I couldn’t believe that a studio would let Michael Cera headline a summer blockbuster, especially one that looked like nothing more than a prolonged acid trip. I never watched Michael Cera in Arrested Development, and even though I enjoyed him in Superbad and tolerated him in Juno, I still don’t understand how he is so popular. I find him incredibly irritating, so I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of watching him in another film, but I was intrigued by how Scott Pilgrim vs. the World seemed to fully integrate both its comic book source material and video game inspiration into the story. It’s no secret that I am a hardcore comic and video game fan, so the more and more I learned about Scott Pilgrim, the more and more I was willing to forgive Cera’s presence on screen in the name of enjoying this uniquely integrative fantasy film. Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s presence was a definite bonus, as she has been growing increasingly popular over the years, first establishing herself as a scream queen for her work in the horror genre (The Ring 2, Final Destination 3, and Death Proof) before branching out to a variety of other popular films (Sky High, Bobby, and Live Free or Die Hard). Perhaps my curiosity outweighed some of my better judgment, but I decided to give Scott Pilgrim vs. the World the benefit of the doubt and see it anyway.
In a previous review, I compared watching The Expendables to taking an injection of adrenaline and testosterone, but if I were to use a comparable simile for this review, then watching Scott Pilgrim vs. the World can only be described like taking an injection of something psychedelic and illegal. The concept for the film was intriguing enough, but the execution was just too weird to be enjoyable; by the time the end credits began to roll, my head hurt from trying to process what had just occurred on screen. Michael Cera is as annoying and snarky as ever, and watching him morph into a warrior to battle the evil-exes is just too awkward. There is also zero chemistry or believability in the pairing of Cera and Winstead, which is a pretty big error when you consider that their supposed relationship is the basis for the entire film. The strongest positive note is that the cinematic devices and special effects used for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World are unlike anything audiences have ever seen, but I can’t help but wonder if they could have been presented in a far less confusing way. Despite the hype surrounding the film, I think most of my readers can go without seeing this cinematic fantasy.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Low
