I had heard of Scott Pilgrim before, but had never taken the time to read the books (so kindly reviewed by Eddy).  After seeing an advance screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World last night thanks to our friends Chris and Kelly, and new friends Loren and Lauren, I plan on rectifying that mistake shortly.  I had mixed expectations for this movie going in; On the positive side you have Edgar Wright, and on the negative side you have Michael Cera.  I love Edgar Wright’s work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), and I hate almost everything Michael Cera has done (I have not seen Arrested Development, so don’t hold that against me).  Fortunately, my misgivings were unnecessary.  I won’t discuss any story elements that could spoil the movie, so have no fear of reading through to the end (rocks fall, everyone dies).

Scott Pilgrim wants to date Ramona Flowers.  His only problem, other than being extremely awkward and self-conscious, is Ramona’s past.  Seven problems, to be exact.  In order to date the girl of his dreams, Scott Pilgrim must defeat Ramona’s seven evil ex-es: Matthew Patel, Lucas Lee, Todd Ingram, Roxy Richter, Kyle & Ken Katayanagi, and the big-boss Gideon Graves.  Can our hero overcome these overwhelming odds, or will his amorous ambitions be annihilated by avaricious adversaries?  You’ll have to go see the movie to find out (or read the books, or read spoiler-filled reviews, or any other number of ways to gather information in this day and age)!

Surprisingly, Michael Cera didn’t suck.  More than anything else, this was my main concern.  I trust in Edgar Wright’s ability and judgement in film-making, I have never read the books so I have no preconceived notions, and I’m very fond of both Jason Schwartzman and Brandon Routh (a fantastic Superman, and an awesome gay lover to an even more awesome gay porn star).  My faith in Edgar Wright was rewarded with a visually and sonically stunning film.  I feel it is fairly safe to say that the film does not give two figs about the laws of our universe.  What I love is that these flagrant violations of physical law, while at times unexpected by the characters, are easily accepted as possible, albeit slightly abnormal.  The strong 8-bit and arcade video game themes throughout the movie are so well integrated into the characters’ universe that they seem perfectly natural.  The movie was, for lack of a better word, so awesome.

Be sure to check out the Scott Pilgrim movie website for the very full-featured avatar creator and other bonus to enhance the experience.  If you create an avatar, why not comment on this article with your avatar link?  We’d love to see them!

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World hits theaters this Friday, August 13th.  Be sure to see it!

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