Why Scott Pilgrim vs The World Is The Best Comic Book Movie Ever Made.

What's that you say? You haven't seen it? Judging from the fact that it only made $47 million worldwide, you are not alone. I didn't see it in the theaters either. Since it bombed in 2010, this movie has grown to comic cult status, with nerds everywhere (myself included) trying to get people to pay attention to it. These are reasons why Scott Pilgrim vs The World is the best comic book movie ever made. Enjoy.

The Visual Style

Hollywood has been flooded with a tidal wave of comic book movies in the last 20 years. Comics in the main stream is great, however the cookie cutter has gotten a lot of use. We got a big, disposable CGI army in every Avengers movie. Leather, or leather-like outfits have replaced what looked like spandex on the comic page. Comic book adaptations that try to make everything look like a grounded, real world universe. Few movies lean into the comic style, Scott Pilgrim vs The World is the one that leans into it the hardest. In all of these other comic movies you get the big special effects and shiny costumes. We’ve gotten it so much that it all tends to blend together. Very few things stand out. Say what you will about the old Batman movies, they all provided a unique visual prospective. At least they tried to be different. While watching Scott Pilgrim vs The World you feel like you are watching something special. The eye-gasmic visual style is instantly recognizable and something that has not been duplicated in these past 11 years.

The Cast

Casting superheroes is usually looking for the buff Hollywood Hot Guy that kinda looks like what was drawn ov er 50 years ago. In most cases it’s the look over anything else because, lets face it, having acting range and being able to convey an emotion is usually fourth or fifth on the list. The cast for Scott Pilgrim is amazing. Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, and Brie Larson bring the star power. Micheal Cera, Kieran Culkin, Brandon Routh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Aubrey Plaza put in very good performances. Jason Schwartzman is truly the scene stealer as the main antagonist Gideon Graves; this performance has a special place in my heart.

The Dialogue

From my history of loving Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino films, dialogue is very important to me. Good dialogue can make a movie memorable and completely rewatchable while bad dialogue can make a movie forgettable. There are plenty of superhero movies that I have seen multiple times and I can’t quote 3 lines from them. Nothing sticks out, which makes everything else about the movie just fade away. Scott Pilgrim is the most quotable superhero movie and its not even close. I live for being able to slip a good movie line in everyday life. I might not remember what my wife told me before she left for work this morning, but I’ll slap you upside the head with a movie quote from 15 years ago when applicable.

The Action

Car chases, shootouts, explosions, special powers, mass destruction, and hand to hand combat are all things you will find in any modern action flick. The clever movies find a different way to take those things on. Scott Pilgrim vs The World doesn’t include a lot of typical action movie tropes. What it does have is creative (usually) one on one fights between Scott and one of Ramona’s exes. Character development is a thing that a lot of comic movies overlook. Breaking the fourth wall Scott even asks Ramona if there is something in the ex’s backstory that will help him win. This is a genius take on the flashback during a fight storytelling style because we know as viewers that what it is all about. Each fight was different and it wasn’t always brute force or fighting technique that wins. Also, a special shout out to Sex Bob-omb verses the Katayanagi Twins using that power of music to fight each other. This is the most creative fight I’ve ever seen in a comic book movie.

The Music

Since Prince did the soundtrack for Batman in 1989, a good soundtrack for a comic book movie does not exist. The score to a movie like The Avengers, while sounding cool in the moment, is not memorable. Right now: Try humming the theme to The Avengers. Try humming the theme to James Bond. See the difference? You can remember the Bond Theme. Avengers? Man Of Steel? Ant-Man? Nope. Since Scott Pilgrim is in a band, and music is an important part of the movie, the songs are memorable. If you’ve seen the movie sing the lyrics to “Garbage Truck”, I bet you remember at least part of it.

The Silliness

I love a dark movie like Batman or Watchmen. I also enjoy some of the more light hearted efforts that Marvel have brought us. Marvel interjects humor, but I wouldn’t call them funny. They have some funny moments, and I would call them fun movies, but not funny. Scott Pilgrim has a lot of visual gags in it. A lot. What other movie has demon hipster chicks, mind control, a pee bar, and vegan police? None.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World manages to take a lot of different choices: the visual style, non-typical hero, snappy dialogue, unique characters with unique powers, comic book captions and indie rock; and mix them all together to make a masterpiece. If you have never seen it, watch it. If you’ve seen it before, watch it again and then get yourself some incredible French Toast with bananas on the side. You’ve earned it.