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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD


Rated PG-13

DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright
STARRING: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
WRITTEN BY: Edgar Wright, Michael Bacall
(Based on the graphic novel by: Bryan Lee O'Malley)


CRITICAL SCORE: 9 / 10

BULLET POINTS: 10 / 10





PLOT
Scott Pilgrim must defeat his new girlfriend's 7 evil exes to win her heart.

TRAILER TRASH
Right out of the bag, I thought this shit looked crazy cool inventive and pretty different from the normal fair.  Plus, after just checking out another recent and super cool Cera flick, YOUTH IN REVOLT, I was pretty pumped to see SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD.  So, was this thing a shallow effects-driven mess or was SPVTW actually an 'epic of epic epicness'?.. (The rhyming of the previous sentence is unintentional and upon further review, goofier than a wooden watch.  Therefore, I leave it for your viewing pleasure.)


LOCK AND LOAD
There truly isn't another movie I have ever seen that is like SPVTW and I say that in a completely complimentary way.  This film moves at the speed of thought (sometimes faster) and maintains a breakneck pace that kept me hyped up like I defeated 7 Dr. Peppers and a garbage bag full of Pop Rocks.  That is not to say that this film is vapid or shallow in the least.  SPVTW is extremely clever and incorporates elements of comic books, video games, music and even other films, bringing these other mediums to life in front of you in an inspired and fresh way.  The director, Wright, said he wanted to, "embrace all of those flourishes of the video games" and "employ those techniques and aesthetics like the onomatopoeic sound effects".  Wright succeeds abundantly in this while giving us a visually outrageous cluster bob-omb of rad effects, insane characters, fight sequences and action sequences that blister the screen in a way that contributes rather than detracts from the narrative.  BTW, I looked up the fucking word "onomatopoeic" and it just basically means words like "Bang" and "Zap" and "Boom" that are formed from the way they sound.  Look at that shit, you learned something.  Or, if you didn't and you already knew the meaning to "onomatopoeic", then here's a piece of candy, smartass.  Whoosh!  I just took that delicious candy back out of your grasp and ate it.  Yum.

As an actor, Michael Cera has his advocates and detractors.  I'm neither.  I like him in some films and in others I don't. In SPVTW, he is brilliant and absolutely perfectly cast.  As a matter of fact, I love the cast of this film.  They are an eclectic bunch of talent that bring these characters to life.  Winstead is yummy as Ramona Flowers, taking a character that could have very easily been unlikable and making her quirky, hip, flawed and altogether cool; someone you can see Scott Pilgrim fighting for.

The way this film is shot could be a blog unto itself.  SPVTW is a slice of cinematic art and every department should be congratulated.  If this film isn't nominated for an Oscar in the editing category, I will need to punch some old bitches in the breakfast.  Wright is the puppet-master and with a tug of his lunatic strings, the sound effects and visual effects work in tangent with the cinematography and dance a tripped out ballet of awesome-sauce.  That isn't to say that SPVTW  is perfect... but it's close.

PICKING BONES
One of my only complaints is that this flick runs a bit long.  I am not one to give a shit how long a movie actually is, but SPVTW feels too long and that's a problem; especially given the frenetic pace at which this film moves.

BREAKING BONES
The colossal amount of sound and visual references in this film is too cool for school.  A FLASH GORDON Ming Ring sound effect won't get by me unnoticed.  Nor does the word "Bob-Omb" as in Scott's band, Sex Bob-Omb, because Super Mario is still the cat's ass.  There's probably a Wiki on all of the references in this flick.  Let me check... Yep.

The fight sequences are awesome and the actors clearly trained a great deal to pull off their own stunts.

The very un-P.C. slap to the vegan community was LOL all day long.

Winstead as Ramona Flowers was top notch, but runner up for best supporting character goes to Keiran Culkin as Scott's gay roommate, Wallace.  An unexpectedly bitchin' performance.

Cera is hysterical.  Hysterical.  The kid has some type of freaky comedic timing and a dry sense of humor that always seems to be one step ahead of even the quickest wittiest fuck.

The special effects could have easily been extremely obnoxious but were brilliantly handled by Wright.  Directing-wise, Wright leveled up as every aspect from soundscape to cameos (Hello Thomas Jane, I see you there.) enhanced the characters, the film and the narrative.

SPLATTER FACTOR
None. Unless you include your opponent's complete destruction by bursting into a shitload of coins gory.  I'd call it radical.

THE KILLSHOT
With the surprising low box office numbers, SPVTW is certainly destined to become a cult classic that gains a huge following later in it's life.  This film is beloved by most critics and movie geeks alike, garnering acclaim by nearly everyone who comes into contact with it.  Any negative reviews of the film I've read are given by 40+ year olds and not to bash the old folks, but this film is over their heads.  Let's call it a cultural block.  Parents just don't understand.  The few that have dismissed the film as "hipster" haven't seen it or they would realize that SPVTW ridicules the hipster mentality quite voraciously.  Wright anchors the film by keeping you invested in the characters, their honesty and their relationships with one another as he continuously surprises the audience by treating us as the media-savvy bunch we are. This gives SPVTW the freedom to destroy the confines of traditional Hollywood and actually electrify your oculars with something truly unique.  This flick encapsulates and satirizes the temperament of the modern youth, defining it in a way that I don't think another movie will duplicate or better.  SPVTW is a generation defining movie and like many great pieces of filmic art, will be appreciated as such in hindsight.  In the meantime, I will definitely be headed down to the theatre to experience this movie again before it's gone.  Fact: This is a film most will catch down the line and be sorry they missed on the big screen and that is a fucking epic fail.  KRAKOWWWW!!!  Perfect K.O.!!!

3 comments:

  1. It is constantly being shown in L.A. at the New Beverly Cinema.

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    1. Hey, I'm going to reply since I haven't checked this blog in forever BUT, I actually now live in L.A. New Beverly Cinema does show it frequently. Love that place and thanks for commenting!

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