Jason KingScott Pilgrim vs. the World (4/10)
August 23rd 2010 00:43
:
I fell asleep
Category: No Category
I was so excited about this film. The trailers looked hysterical and Michael Cera just rocks. But I was sadly disappointed in this gaming cyber movie.
The plot is simple - Scott Pilgrim must fight and defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes in order to win her heart.
The film is for the gaming generation - unless you play or understand the basics of computer gaming, mainly Tekken or Zelda, then forget it. The whole film is styled as a computer game and it is abundant with color and gaming references. My mum would feel as though she was in another reality if I took her to see it and I think this is why the film has bombed. A lot of critics are raving about it's originality but this film is a specific genre and fanbase and these people are not a big bunch. I do see the film becoming a cult classic but it is not for me.
I understood the gaming references, being a closet WOW freak, and was brought up half in and half out of the Playstation generation - original model PS bitches, all the way
But that wasn't enough. I actually fell asleep in a film for the first time in over 10yrs. There are way too many evil exes and it became repetitive with minimal substance. If there were 3 of them or even 4 I would have loved this film but really, having to see 7 idiot exes turn up and all want to fight, it was way too much. I slept through 3 and 4
Do not get me wrong, this film has great moments. Michael Cera has some of the best comic timing I have ever seen and a lot of the script is awesome and designed around ensuring Cera's genius is used. Although I did notice during this film that Cera has a very uniform style to his comedy and I am confident the public will get over it in a year or two and he will fade into obscurity and stand up. I also love Kieren Culkin, absolutely love him, he is great in everything he does and Igby Goes Down makes my top ten films of all time. He plays the gay flatmate in this one in a unusual relationship with Scott, I love the films acceptance of gays in this film or it is more lack of care at anything besides the self. The Seinfeld scene is eye watering, stomach hurting laughter.
There are a lot of interesting characters in the film but they are all kind of stupid and you won't give a shit about any of them. The most disappointing for me was the new girlfriend, or as I like to call her, rainbow head. I just didn't see Scott's obsession with her, nor would she be worth the battling of seven evil exes. I would have just hit "game reset". Get that - gaming reference.
I found Edgar Wright's direction very visual and very different from his other great films, Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. This is his first completely US film and for me it is overly visual and sometimes way too glossy. He brought a great script to the screen but for me most of the characters, while hilarous, are void of anything that would make you give a crap about them. And for me the epic fail of this film, that I have already mentioned is the repetitiveness of the evil exes - it was overkill. Most of them are all similar in freakishness and for me to fall asleep is a massive failure
A good friend of mine, and fellow reviewer, Big Geoff from Cinefools.com absolutely loves this film, as do many of my friends and staff. Big Geoff describes the film like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for the gaming generation. I laughed at this and explained that Eternal Sunshine had substance where Scott Pilgrim requires substance abuse It is out now and worth 4 out of 10.
The plot is simple - Scott Pilgrim must fight and defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes in order to win her heart.
The film is for the gaming generation - unless you play or understand the basics of computer gaming, mainly Tekken or Zelda, then forget it. The whole film is styled as a computer game and it is abundant with color and gaming references. My mum would feel as though she was in another reality if I took her to see it and I think this is why the film has bombed. A lot of critics are raving about it's originality but this film is a specific genre and fanbase and these people are not a big bunch. I do see the film becoming a cult classic but it is not for me.
I understood the gaming references, being a closet WOW freak, and was brought up half in and half out of the Playstation generation - original model PS bitches, all the way
But that wasn't enough. I actually fell asleep in a film for the first time in over 10yrs. There are way too many evil exes and it became repetitive with minimal substance. If there were 3 of them or even 4 I would have loved this film but really, having to see 7 idiot exes turn up and all want to fight, it was way too much. I slept through 3 and 4 
Do not get me wrong, this film has great moments. Michael Cera has some of the best comic timing I have ever seen and a lot of the script is awesome and designed around ensuring Cera's genius is used. Although I did notice during this film that Cera has a very uniform style to his comedy and I am confident the public will get over it in a year or two and he will fade into obscurity and stand up. I also love Kieren Culkin, absolutely love him, he is great in everything he does and Igby Goes Down makes my top ten films of all time. He plays the gay flatmate in this one in a unusual relationship with Scott, I love the films acceptance of gays in this film or it is more lack of care at anything besides the self. The Seinfeld scene is eye watering, stomach hurting laughter.
There are a lot of interesting characters in the film but they are all kind of stupid and you won't give a shit about any of them. The most disappointing for me was the new girlfriend, or as I like to call her, rainbow head. I just didn't see Scott's obsession with her, nor would she be worth the battling of seven evil exes. I would have just hit "game reset". Get that - gaming reference
.
I found Edgar Wright's direction very visual and very different from his other great films, Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. This is his first completely US film and for me it is overly visual and sometimes way too glossy. He brought a great script to the screen but for me most of the characters, while hilarous, are void of anything that would make you give a crap about them. And for me the epic fail of this film, that I have already mentioned is the repetitiveness of the evil exes - it was overkill. Most of them are all similar in freakishness and for me to fall asleep is a massive failure
A good friend of mine, and fellow reviewer, Big Geoff from Cinefools.com absolutely loves this film, as do many of my friends and staff. Big Geoff describes the film like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for the gaming generation. I laughed at this and explained that Eternal Sunshine had substance where Scott Pilgrim requires substance abuse
It is out now and worth 4 out of 10.| 104 |
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I liked Hot Fuzz Bryn - I didn't love it though. I have sad memories of trying to watch Shaun of the Dead - the friend I went with got a phone call during the movie and her grandfather died and we had to leave. We got back together 3 months later and watched it together on DVD - loved it