I finally had the chance to watch the movie Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and well, what can I say, a movie that begins with an 8-bit version of the Universal Studios logo (8-bit music included) immediately wins my heart.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World is what real life would be like if it was a videogame, no doubt. Every element is here: enemies, bosses, experience points, score, life-ups… and of course the ever-present girl to reach at the end of the game.
The story itself when written on paper sounds ridiculous and overly simplistic. But mix it all with a perfect mash-up of comic book styled shots, bleeps and blops in the background that come straight out from old Nintendo games and a thousand little references to everything videogame from Zelda to Half-Life and you’ve got a winner.
I should mention that this is also the first time I see actor Michael Cera do something else than just whine on the screen. Don’t take me wrong, I like him as an actor, but all his roles until now have been the same emotional portrayal. In Scott Pilgrim he still whines a lot (some things never change I guess) but this time he literally kicks ass as well. 
Seeing him punch the first evil ex-boyfriend of pink-haired girl Ramona causes quite an impact because of the huge contrast between whine-Scott and fighting-Scott.
You see, in this movie Scott Pilgrim wants to date Ramona, but in order to do so he is going to have to defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. As crazy as it sounds, this is the main plot that weaves it all together. During the entire movie you really wait expectantly to see who is going to be the next evil ex-boyfriend and what will make him special (surprise: they all have superpowers).
It’s exactly the same feeling as old-school videogames in which you advance through the level wondering what the next boss is going to be like.
All of this is greatly enhanced by the amazing visual style of the movie. If a telephone rings you will see the word “RING!” emerging from the phone. Characters move insanely fast to create some of the most comical situations (someone says Scott’s hair is shaggy and less than a second later Scott is seen wearing a hat he’s quickly pulled out to cover it). And comic book panels in the screen become the norm here.
You really never grow bored of Scott Pilgrim’s own little world. It’s a strange one, sure, and those who haven’t played videogames will probably not get half of the jokes and references, but once you dive into it there’s no coming out. You want Scott to win the girl as much as he does. But you don’t want the game to be over. Sadly, the movie does end.
Certainly a movie I can recommend to anyone who wants to see something different. THIS is different. Not in a revolutionary way but it will make you constantly glee. If you haven’t watched it yet (or if it’s still not out in your country, like Spain or Mexico) go book a ticket right now. You won’t regret it.
Here’s a trailer to set you in the mood: