Scott Pilgrim vs. the Rest of the World

After delivering two works with "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" that became veritable cult films in no time, Edgar Wright tries his hand at adapting the popular comic book "Scott Pilgrim vs. the Rest of the World" by Bryan Lee O`Malley in his first US production. The result is a quirky romance with offbeat fantasy elements that is, in its own way, one of the movie highlights of the year.

Somewhere in Toronto, Canada, 23-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is dating a schoolgirl! Just another attempt to numb the pain of his breakup with Envy Adams (Brie Larson) over a year ago. Scott's bandmates, his sister Stacey (Anna Kendrick) and his gay roommate Kieran Culkin) don't think his new relationship is a good idea and fear he'll hurt his somewhat naïve girlfriend Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) very soon. Scott, however, is sure things are finally going the way they're supposed to: nice and uncomplicated! But when he meets the enchanting Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Knives suddenly doesn't care at all. He knows he's found his dream girl in Ramona.

Too bad, though, that along with his new infatuation comes plenty of new problems. Not only does Scott have to break up with Knives. He also has to face Ramona's seven devilish ex-lovers and defeat them in duels if he wants to be with the mysterious American. Why does love always have to be such a hassle...

"Scott Pilgrim vs. the Rest of the World" is unusual cinema entertainment in the best sense of the word. The film, which sticks closely to its drawn original and even incorporates image sequences from the graphic novel into the action in some scenes, is an entertaining declaration of love for comic books, computer games, rock ... and, of course, love. For all the visual gimmicks, Wright hasn't forgotten to add charm and heart to his film. Even if the comic elements directly adopted into the film and the many quotes on older, but also modern video games sometimes seem a bit strained whimsical, the film never seems undercooled or so artificial that you as a viewer can not befriend the characters. Rather, it becomes clear in every second with how much heart and passion Wright and his team have implemented the graphic novel.

The cast is almost perfect. If at the beginning it is still to be feared that Michael Cera will once again play the kind of role he has already embodied in "Juno", "Superbad" and the series "Arrested Development", it soon turns out that Cera is also allowed to present some new sides of his skills this time. Yes, Scott Pilgrim is again a nerdy misfit, but he's also an arrogant egotist, and that's a side of the character Cera plays just great. He is supported by a wonderful ensemble of young actors, including "Superman" Brandon Routh as a super-powered vegan, Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four") as a cocky actor, Jason Schwartman as an arrogant music mogul, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead ("Die Hard 4.0"). But the film's secret star is Kieran Culkin, who as Scott's gay roommate Wallace Wells is responsible for some of the film's best moments.

The sometimes very weird staging, in which the ringing of a telephone appears in the picture in the style of a comic as a RRRRRING or in which normal young people suddenly mutate into superheroes, only to disintegrate into several coins after losing a duel, makes it impossible to recommend "Scott Pilgrim" to a wide audience. Underneath its colorful and shrill surface, the film actually tells a story that everyone can relate to: Boy falls in love with girl, girl seems somehow unattainable and all her ex-boyfriends seem like supermen - but on closer inspection they all have their flaws and weaknesses. The fact that this old and not exactly thrilling story is packaged in such an original way makes "Scott Pilgrim against the rest of the world" a very special cinematic pleasure.

So if you know a little about the comic and computer scene and appreciate US comedies of a slightly weirder (but fortunately not flat or vulgar) kind, you should definitely not miss this film. Absolutely recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp