The Film
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is now out on Blu-ray, which is a good thing, because chances are you didn't see it in the theater. Despite a huge marketing campaign and good critical buzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was a major flop at the box office.
Adapted from Bryan Lee O'Malley's unique graphic novel, the film is directed by Edgar Wright, who is pretty well known for two of his own unique projects, Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. He isn't known for blockbusters, but his movies are extremely creative -- and Scott Pilgrim is no different.
Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is 22-year-old uber-nerd with cool friends, a cool band, a cool gay roommate, and a "fake" high-school girlfriend. However, he dreams of a better life -- or at least a better girlfriend, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). However, if he wants to be with her, he must first defeat her seven evil exes, which come in the form of Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Mae Whitman, Shota Saito, Keita Saito, and Jason Schwartzman.
Sure, Michael Cera barely looks like he can kick ass in videogames, let alone have the street toughs to defeat Superman, Captain America, and the rest of this cast. The film sounds slightly bizarre because it is. It's bizarre and unique and pretty darn awesome. It's what happens when Mortal Kombat mates with a Bugs Bunny cartoon.
Viewers familiar with director Wright's work will see some similarities. That said, the director uses everything in his bag of tricks to create a rapid-fire movie that barely lets you take a breath.
Need to score more info about the movie? Check out Karen Dahlstrom's review of the theatrical release of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
The Picture
Scott Pilgrim is the best music video we've ever seen. Edgar Wright got to play with his largest budget yet, and it shows in the film's image. It is filled with an insane amount of colors, all of which pop extremely well. The black levels are strong, giving much of the 1.85:1 transfer a sharp and almost 3D-looking image for the most part. For the rest, we have the frantic actions and special effects, some of which comes off soft, especially when it's part of the background. Some of those incidents seem intentional though, and add actually add to the movie's creative vibe.
The Sound
This is one loud soundtrack. The fight scenes are loud, the music is even louder, and we really liked all of it. It's been a while since a movie has really shaken our walls and scared the dog. The DTS-HD Master Audio track fills the entire soundfield with nearly deafening audio when it counts. However, it never drowns out any of the film's dialogue or minor (but important) special effects. All of those little sounds make this a unique track, which really is fantastic from beginning to end.
The Extras
Universal receives the high score for packing Scott Pilgrim with a hearty collection of extras. Everything you could possibly imagine is offered here, including bloopers, deleted scenes, casting tapes, blogs, Adult Swim highlights, and more. It's also noteworthy to mention that this film has a whopping four commentaries; two with cast members, one that covers technical aspects, and one that includes Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley. That doesn't even count the options for a trivia track and picture-in-picture storyboards.
Ways to view the movie aside, there are a few standout extras. The making of featurette is well worth the 50-minute runtime. It answers a lot of "how'd they do that?" moments from the film, covers casting Michael Cera, the Toronto location, shots and fight scenes, and Edgar Wright's photo blog. It's also really interesting to hear how creator Bryan Lee O'Malley was involved, in his own words.
The 16-minute music featurette is also worth a peek, because music plays a huge part in this movie. Aside from finding out where the songs came from, you'll learn just how Sex-Bob Omb came together -- and actually learned to play their own instruments.
After you've run through all of the film's extras, Universal has included the option for a free bonus movie, streamed via BD Live, smartphone or computer. The two selections are Tremors and Pitch Black.
Final Thoughts
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World gives the rom-com genre a much-needed kick in the teeth. Yes, this is a rom-com, which makes all of the bells and whistles a lot more than just bells and whistles. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is destined to become a cult classic. Of course, that means it probably shouldn't be on everyone's must-see list. Just know that frothing video game fans aren't the only ones who can (or should) appreciate this fine piece of filmmaking.
Product Details
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