Whilst it’s true that Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is yet another comic-book adaptation; coming at a time when cinema is literally overflowing with comic-book titles (such as Captain America, Thor, Batman 3, Iron Man 3, and more); it’s certainly one unlike any other that has gone before; as it’s not a superhero movie, and is a film aimed solely at the post-MTV, video-game playing, A.S.B.O. having generation.
It focusses on the life and trials of a young lad named Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera, Superbad), who’s the type of hero usually found in a Seth Rogen (The Green Hornet) movie; a young adult who’s basically a waster, doesn’t have a proper job, and sits around waiting for his band to make it into the big-time; but lives in an extraordinary world with barely any discernible rules (aside from video-game logic of gaining extra lives, and getting to retry things that didn’t go too well the first time), and where relationships can cause more than their fair share of problems.
When the film begins Scott is dating a high-school girl named Knives (Ellen Wong, Unnatural History), but soon loses interest in her when he falls for an attractive ‘hipster-chick’ he runs into, called Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Die Hard 4.0); a girl who comes with more than her fair share of deadly baggage.
Scott quickly learns that Ramona’s issues aren’t all emotional, when he begins playing a set at a local battle of the bands, and gets attacked by Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha, Fair Game); the first of Ramona’s evil ex-boyfriends; and learns that in order for him and Ramona to date, he will have to fight, and defeat, everyone of her seven evil exes.
Ramona’s evil exes come in the form of the fairly average Patel (aside from his crazy Street-Fighter fighting ability), a famous movie star (played by Captain America’s Chris Evans) who uses body doubles, a famous bass player (Brandon Routh, Superman Returns) who happens to be dating Scott’s ex-girlfriend and has psychic vegan powers, a girl, twins, and the very music mogul that Scott’s band have been hoping to sign with.
And while a film with seven scheduled fights (they aren’t technically scheduled in the film, but anyone watching knows that they’re coming) could easily get a bit ‘samey’, it fails to do so thanks to the different styles of the fights; which (like the movie as a whole) are all quirky and original in their own way, and involve a Street-Fighter style brawl, fighting with pixelated video-game weapons, psychic powers, via giant pixelated bass-battling avatars, and a video-game style run jump and hack with a sword; making each entertaining in its own unique way.
Yet it’s clear from the plot-line, the trailers, and the styles of fights, that Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is far from a normal film; something completely embraced by director Edgar Wright (the director of both Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz), who plays up the originality and quirkiness of the material and the movie, all the way through; with constantly amusing humour, crazy special effects that may not be necessary, but excellently accentuate the weird and wonderful world he created (such as Ramona’s skateboard melting away the snow), comic-style writing used to hammer home every noise (from the thonk of a head hitting a lamppost, or the ring of a telephone), and the entirety of the film playing out like an old-style, 8-bit, video-game; complete with 8-bit Universal logo, extra lives, continues, and points being given for taking down the bad-guys.
Wright’s style is probably the best thing about the movie, and the thing that means it’s a film that really has to be seen to be believed; not only to dispel any lingering notions that the trailers were a belated April fools (they really have made a movie where Michael Cera has to fight off seven evil exes in order to date a girl who seems way too cool for him), but to see just what an innovative filmmaker Wright is, and marvel at the spastic editing and directing style which never lingers on anything, can in no way be described as slow, and jumps from fights, to music scenes, to gags, and back again, so quickly that even the most hardened channel surfers, quick-to-bore viewers, and A.D.D. suffers won’t even get a chance to get bored or distracted.
Like Marmite, Scott Pilgrim is one of those things that you’re likely to either love, or hate; and with a plot which is not only absurd but basically non-existent, a cast which does its job but could be easily replaced without too many people noticing, and a tone and style which is so original and so quirky that it’s actually likely to put many viewers off (despite its sheer brilliance, excellent execution, and the fact that it perfectly suits the material); you may be quick to decide you wouldn’t enjoy it, but change your mind even quicker upon watching, because despite all the craziness, it’s difficult to deny that Scott’s pretty captivating, perfectly suited to the under-30’s ASBO generation it’s targeting, and so outlandish that you’ll have to watch it again just to try and answer the question that’s guaranteed to be going around your mind when you first watch; namely, ‘WTF is this?’
Picture:
Whilst the colours on the Scott Pilgrim Blu-ray may not be quite as vibrant as many fans will remember them from the cinema, and the fine detail (which is generally very good) suffers a little in the shadows; thanks to a spot of crushing from the blacks; the contrast is excellent, the black levels are generally very strong, and there’s not even a hint of banding aliasing, or any other transfer issues.
It’s also worth nothing that the pixelation seen during a number of scenes is always intentional, and is there to keep the movie in a stylized 8-bit universe (even when pixelation spreads slightly around the obvious graphics), and even though Scott comes to Blu-ray with a few issues, they are all fairly minor, and in no way hinder the enjoyment of the film, but keep it from ever truly popping.
Audio:
Unlike the somewhat placid feeling the video quality will leave viewers with, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio mix is guaranteed to astound listeners; as it comes loaded with a never-ending array of constantly changing special effects that are all perfectly placed, perfectly prioritized, and utilized with impressive pans, and superb directionality; meaning that this is a truly engrossing, and fully immersive soundtrack.
Music is a prominent feature with this film, and it’s excellently reproduced thanks in no small part to the weighty and powerful bass that never fails to make its presence known, yet never hinders the consistently clean and clear dialogue (which never becomes unnecessarily lost during all the confusion, and myriad of sound effects).
In short Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World sounds brilliant on Blu-ray; and is impressive not only because of the sheer volume of special effects included in the mix, but because of the impeccable level of clarity and precision with which they were included; elevating the audio to a mix that reaches a demo-worthy level.
Extras:
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Blu-ray however, is the exhaustive list of special features with which it comes bundled; a list that’s astounding not simply for its interesting and relevant content, but just astounding for it’s length; as it contains four audio commentaries, over 20 deleted scenes, a gag reel, alternate footage, pop-up features, an extensive ‘making of’ featurette, numerous other featurettes, trailers, music promos, and more.
The audio commentaries begin with a track featuring director Edgar Wright, and Bryan Lee O’Malley (the author of the Scott Pilgrim comic books); which is a superb listen, and lets listeners know not only how the comic was adapted into a film, but how the original author feels about the adaptation; followed by a technical commentary; focussing on things like the sets, cinematography etc. (less engaging, but very interesting for the more technically minded listener); an insightful cast commentary; which is led by Michael Cera, contains input from major cast members, and despite having a bit of dead air, covers some interesting ground; and a less insightful cast commentary; containing input from the mostly hungover, and consistently bland, secondary cast, who have nothing to say that would make the track worthy of a listen.
Additional footage comes in the form of 21 deleted scenes (all with optional commentary by Edgar Wright); which are mostly alternate or extended versions of included scenes rather than completely deleted scenes, but are amusing, and worth a look; a selection of bloopers, ‘bits and pieces’ (other bloopers, and random cut footage), and alternate edits of several scenes; which will be interesting to some fans, but likely skipped by most casual viewers.
There’s also a trivia track; which consists of text popping-up on-screen throughout the movie to highlight all the film and comic references; and a pop-up feature which allows the film to be viewed with storyboards alongside the movie, and an extensive making of featurette (which is a must for any fan of the film, and/or comics) covering everything from pre-production to filming, and how Wright’s vision compares to the original comics.
Also included is access to BD-Live, a number of galleries; containing concept art, posters, and photos from the filming process; and a bunch of filler material; including a virtual guitar lesson, a worthless inclusion of some censored scenes which are now ‘TV safe’ (and much less funny than the ‘Funky Pete’ extra on Shaun of the Dead), some music videos, remixed songs, and trailers; as well as visual effects featurettes (which are well worth a watch), a number of video blogs Wright recorded whilst filming (providing an interesting insight into a director’s thought process), pre-production footage, and featurettes exploring both the film’s music, and the impressive audio mix, plus a few Easter Eggs (found by pressing right at certain parts of the menu) giving away codes for the Scott Pilgrim video-game.
And while there’s undoubtedly a number of features in there that won’t appeal to some viewers, and quite a few that are likely to be skipped by any casual viewer, there’s no denying that the sheer scale of the Scott Pilgrim bonus materials is truly epic, and is practically guaranteed to give fans everything they could want from a selection of special features, and then some; proving that there’s no other director that can match the sheer effort that Edgar Wright puts into crafting a definitive release for the fans of his films.
The Bottom Line:
The Blu-ray release of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World does have its issues; while the picture quality is adequate, it’s less than astounding, and it’s likely that many film fans simply won’t get what Edgar Wright was trying to do, and will be put off by the rather unconventional style used (which is aimed solely at a young, video-gaming, comic-book reading, audience); although it definitely gives fans of the movie more than they would expect from a standard Blu-ray release.
Picture quality is never truly bad; in any sense of the word; the disc’s audio mix is frankly brilliant, and the sheer volume of special features (most of which are truly excellent inclusions; being both interesting and informative; with only a few filler features) has to be seen to be believed; making the Scott Pilgrim Blu-ray the perfect way for a fan to own the film.
And while the film itself is charming, undeniably unique, and totally fresh, it’s one of those movies that falls into a ‘guilty pleasures’ folder, and is a real love it or hate it picture that will get you instantly hooked, or wishing you’d gone elsewhere; making it a movie you should watch, but probably rent before buying, just incase.
