Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
Director: Edgar Wright
Context:
In the mid-2000s, cartoonist Brian Lee O'Malley started publishing entries in the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series. Based on his fondness for comics, video games, alt. rock music, and shonen manga, O'Malley created a romantic quest story loosely based on his own life about the character of Scott Pilgrim whose reality mimicked the hyper-virtual worlds of the aforementioned media. There were six planned novels in the series but even after the first was released, talks of a movie adaptation were set in motion.
Edgar Wright, hot off his directorial acclaim with Spaced and Shaun of the Dead shared O'Malley's fondness for "nerd pop culture" as seen in his previous works and signed on as the director of Scott Pilgrim. When the movie officially started production, only three novels had been published, and the movie set out to tell one complete story. So, as novels four and five were being made, each version's story influenced the other. The movie was in it's final stages as the sixth and final book was being created so, Wright only had limited notes to work with. But in a weird twist of synergy, test audiences disliked the original ending to the film and a new one was created based on the soon to be published final novel. Both were released within a month of each other, allowing for fans of one to immediately see the whole story play out in an alternate format.
While I love Edgar Wright's entire filmography, most were focused on his "Cornetto Trilogy," (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End, with his actor friends from Spaced, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost). Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was released in between the latter two films and while I was initially bummed that Wright had taken a break to create this "fan film," I found myself loving this one the best out of all his works thus far.
Plot:
Aimless 22-year-old Scott Pilgrim finds himself caught up in the fight for his life after he meets the mysterious Ramona Flowers. Her seven evil exes have teamed up to take him out and he must endure each battle in order to win what he is truly fighting for.
Analysis:
It's been said in the world of film that you cannot make a good "video game movie." Every movie based on a video game has tried and failed to capture that feeling of adrenaline and problem solving that can only be experienced when playing a video game. I feel that these films are focusing on the wrong thing and should not try to emulate a different form of media. It should take what we love about video games and put it in movie form with what we love about movies.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the perfect video game movie. And it wasn't even based on a game, specifically (although it would inspire one later). It is also the perfect comic book movie. It's a beautiful work of art.
Edgar Wright may just be one of the best directors in the field of comedy and style. He was faced with a challenge of condensing six novels into one film and he used the visual flair of the graphic novel, the internal logic of a video game, and his frenetically-paced film-editing to make it all come together. A LOT happens in this movie, but the audience never feels bloated because Wright is a master at using visual and audio tricks to convey all of the necessary exposition to his audience.
For example, text from the original graphic novels pops up on screen to introduce characters, segue between chapters, and emphasize major feelings. Lines of animation and hidden background gags help push forward the context of every new scene. There is no throw-away dialogue, but there is also no dull dialogue. We learn so much about this world that by the end of the first 5 minutes, we are fully prepared to expect the unexpected. This mimics the original story's style and it plays out really well onscreen.
The movie also has the added benefit of sound and color. Many familiar Nintendo sounds (mostly from The Legend of Zelda series, on which Pilgrim's life his heavily influenced) pops up in the background with each sound effecting coming at just the right moment to underscore a plot point. Wright is famous for this trick, but it never gets old. It treats the whole film like a song, with each sound and line of speech in the exact right place. Speaking of songs, Wright even got permission from the famously stubborn Nintendo to use these musical moments by saying that their sounds were like "nursery rhymes to a generation."
I should say that it helps that when I saw this film, I too was an aimless 22-year-old who had grown up with Nintendo as my background noise. I was primed to appreciate every joke. That isn't to say the whole film relies on references. You can follow the whole plot and still understand what's happening. These sounds and images just enhance the film to a greater quality.
Lines come at a rapid fire pace, and Wright's timing always makes sure each on lands. These characters talk the way your friends talk (save for the evil exes who talk like standard cartoon villains, but that's the point). And the dialogue is only heightened by the amazing cast.
While we know and love all of these actors today, a lot of them were just starting their careers when cast in this film. Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, and Aubrey Plaza star alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, and Allison Pill (just to name a few members of the recognizable talent). There is a definite hipster vibe to the whole proceedings and that's only further emphasized by the fact that the two "big names" for the film were Jason Schwartzman as the evil 7th ex Gideon and Michael Cera as the titular Scott Pilgrim.
Cera is perfect in this role because, as Wright noted, the film "needed someone who the audience can identify with even when he's being a total asshole." Some people I knew disliked the film because they felt Scott Pilgrim was a jerk, and I felt that, well, yeah. That's the point. We want to like him because he's the hero and he's played by Michael Cera. But he starts the film in a terrible place and he is terrible to people around him. He doesn't (at first) really deserve Ramona as a partner. But he must fight his way through his demons and become a stronger person. That's his journey.
(There is a brilliant deleted scene in which Scott, towards the end of the film, narrates what he has been through thus far and he accurately describes Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey without realizing it. It shows that for all the glitz and glamour of the film, the story is really about one person coming to terms with who he is and how he treats those in his life).
I could gush about individual moments in this film forever, so let's move to the end...
The Ending(s):
As I said earlier, this film had one original ending first. With alternate scenes intact, Scott learns to appreciate his ex-girlfriend Knives more and he ends up with her while Ramona leaves. Audiences hated it because, while this may have been a more realistic outcome for the characters, they felt robbed of the standard Hollywood resolution. Scott was fighting for Ramona the whole time so he should end up with her, right?
Well, in the books, O'Malley had a hard time deciding on the ending himself. Even after I had seen the movie, I wasn't sure what to expect. But ultimately, Scott ends up with Ramona in both official versions. And since that was the version I first saw, I was more inclined towards that as the "true" ending.
But upon this review, 5 years later, I noticed that my feelings had changed and I watched both endings again to see which one truly held up. And in my mind...they both do. Scott/Knives does make logical sense within the film. But so does Scott/Ramona. With Scott/Knives, we can envision another attempt at romance that may not last, but will at least end more amicably. Scott stays put. With Scott/Ramona, there is a sense of danger. This one could end terribly, but Scott has decided that it's worth a try. Scott goes into the unknown.
In both endings we get an image of an arcade final screen which isn't truly an ending. It's a "CONTINUE?" countdown timer. The film cuts to black before the timer hits 0, leading the audience to wonder, what does Scott ultimately do. This to me suggests that both endings are just alternate paths that Scott could take if he chooses to "try again." Neither is set in stone, which works perfectly for this film.
(But for the official record, I cried in the Ramona ending when Scott said "Try again?" and plus it has Scott's journey be about him fighting for himself, not for a "prize to be won," so yeah, Ramona ending all the way!)
Final Thoughts:
Have you ever watched a movie where you knew in the first second, you'd love it? Scott Pilgrim was that movie for me. I was hooked and I enjoyed the ride the whole way through.
A friend of mine once had discussion with me about film adaptations of books and he argued that it's better to see the film first then read the story. The film is always going to cut stuff out and possibly leave you disappointed if you're a fan of the book. Let the film stand as your basis and pursue the novel afterwards so you can enjoy more details and nuance in a story you already know.
That was the order I did it with Scott Pilgrim and I'm glad I made my choice. While I feel the book series offers so much more in terms of ideas, character development, and plot threads (and I think I possibly even like it more than the movie), this film was the perfect introduction to the world of Scott Pilgrim. I'm in lesbians with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment