PixlBit

Jason gives his spoiler-free take on the latest video game movie.

I’d imagine many of you have read many of the mixed reviews for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. That’s ok. I don’t mind being a little late to the table with my own opinion of the movie. Since we’re a video game site and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a movie, I’d prefer not to write a formal review, and instead, describe a little of how the movie works. From my opinion, as well as the others around the web, it should be easy to decide if the movie is worth being seen.

To begin with, Scott Pilgrim isn’t the standard movie. Yes, it has a plot. It’s got a defined beginning, middle, and end. There’s rising action and momentum, a climax nearer the end, and it follows many general movie and storyline conventions in this sense.

What’s different? Scott Pilgrim is jumpy. It’s sporadic. In several parts, the scene changes mid-conversation, and in a sense, the conversation continues from “Point A” at “Point C.” Personally, the technique was one I enjoyed. Why? Scott Pilgrim was based on a graphic novel, and it shows. The jump from locale to locale, from one time to another abruptly, is a comic convention of which, as a self-described nerd, I’m familiar.

In the movie, many characters are fairly one-dimensional, and some are even stereotypical. I don’t plan to give up any real details about anything in the movie beyond generic description, but I’ll say it's fun to see things that were set up with some characters carry out almost exactly as one would predict. Still, the important main characters follow the tradition of growing up and learning who they are and why they make the decisions they make. Good ol’ fashioned movie character progression happens about as anyone would expect.

So what really makes Scott Pilgrim different from other movies? Inside Jokes. Inside Jokes. That’s right. The thing is riddled with references to nerdy things. While most of what I noticed related to video games, I saw at one point an X-Files reference and a few others along the way. There are jokes about situations of which mostly only nerds, geeks, and similar groups of people would be familiar. There are jokes involving various, specific games. There are a few references to anime or manga, even.

What’s important? If you’re someone who can understand these references, the entire movie, from start to finish, is jam-packed with fun. I’m fairly confident I spent 60%-80% of the movie laughing at the little things. And the big things. And everything in-between. Considering the characters we care about are able to develop and grow, the massive number of entertaining and comedic nerd moments featured is just incredible.

The verdict? Anyone who is a gamer and interested in gaming culture who knows anyone of the same type should go to see this movie ASAP. I don’t believe there’s any chance you’d regret the decision, save you’re one of those people without a sense of humor. I’ll be buying the movie on DVD when it comes out. I’ll be buying the graphic novels, even. The movie was that good. Who isn’t Scott Pilgrim for? Unfortunately, most anyone else. Fans of action movies with character-driven drama may enjoy the title. Oddly enough, I’d say there’s a little bit of a semblance to Rocky, particularly in the idea that characters and personalities of the people the viewer cares about are fleshed out well, but it’s also an action movie based on character fights. Regardless, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a movie worth watching for any gamer with a sense of fun and action.