Rating of
3/4
Talkin' Bout My Generation
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/18/10
Forget what you've heard - I don't care if it had a lackluster opening, I don't care if you hate Michael Cera, I don't care if you never read the graphic novel - Scott Pilgrim is a lot of fun and more intelligent than it gets credit for.
I will agree that there is probably a cut off point for the main audience. If you grew up in the age of Nintendo, it will make a lot more sense. I'm not saying that anyone over 35 won't have a good time, I'm just saying that this film does appeal to a certain demographic. There are so many random video game references thrown in, everything from graphics to music to dialogue - it will require repeat viewing to catch all the asides.
Yet you don't have to be a video game nut to enjoy this film. It's a story about love and discovering who you really are. Despite playing yet another kinda nice, kinda awkward guy - I liked Michael Cera in this. His brand of self-depreciating humor is well suited for this film. Likewise the supporting cast is great. No huge names, but Kieran Culkin is amazing as Pilgrim's gay roommate, Alison Pill as his dour ex Kim Pine, Anna Kendrick as his sister, Ellen Wong as his underage recovery girlgriend Knives Chau, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the Ramona Flowers, the girl of his dreams and, of course, the evil exes.
I have to say that my favorite was Brandon Routh as the super-powered vegan, though Chis Evans was good as the action star actor and Jason Schwartzman was a great world class a-hole as Gideon Gordon Graves. There were a lot of characters packed into one movie, and though I think I would have liked to get to know a few of them a bit better, overall the pacing was slick and smooth.
The music was a bombastic assault on the senses. If you like your music loud and mostly unintelligible, you'll do just fine. There are a lot of visual effects that show up - phones and bells ringing, punching, kicking, groans - along with such things as leveling up, health bars and a very important extra life. They should include an epilepsy warning for this movie like they do at the start of video games. It's quite frenetic, but I consider it time well spent.
I admit I haven't read the original story, so I can't complain about what they cut out or added in. As far as originality goes, I think the movie succeeds.
