Review: "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" is as Interesting as Watching Someone Else Play a Video Game

It's definitely something different.

The new film adaptation of the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World is sort of a cross between a comic book and a video game, with an oh-so-ironic sensibility and a stream-of-consciousness style.

Such a thing would've been impossible before CGI, and the filmmakers deserve credit for having the cojones to do something so audacious (even if all they're really doing is literally transferring the look and feel of the graphic novel to the screen).

And Wallace, Scott's gay best friend, is also something truly different: an unapologetically gay guy, ironic without being campy, sexual without being sex-obsessed. It's a small role, but Kieran Culkin is marvelous.

But truthfully? I was bored out of my skull by this movie. For me, it was about as exciting as watching someone else play a video game. I wasn't involved, so for all its visual extravagance, I really didn't care.

First, it's irony-overload. When everything is an opportunity for eye-rolling or meta-riffing, it's hard to take anything seriously. Frankly, I'm already tired of the whole idea of the-world-as-a-video-game, which has already been the subject of 30,000 webseries (and has been strongly hinted at in plenty of movies before now).

Next, the movie takes too long to get going — this is a pretty faithful adaptation, and clearly the producers felt like they had to include as many characters and sub-plots as possible (the "Knives" sub-plot probably should've been cut completely, fans of the graphic novel be damned). Each of these supporting actors was clearly cast because they resemble their comic book counter-part, and with each new introduction, it's like the movie stops to say, "See? Look? It's Kim!"

And once the main plot finally kicks in — to date beautiful, unattainable Ramona, Scott must defeat her seven evil exes — it becomes really repetitive. The ex appears, and Scott engages in an epic, superhero-like fight sequence with them.

I liked that there was never any explanation for why they suddenly become superheros and are suddenly able to fly, etc. — hey, it's metaphorical, okay? But there are no particularly clever twists, there's never any real doubt to any outcome, and nothing is ever learned (except at the end, in a realization so trite that I couldn't believe that such an incredibly ironic movie put it out there without immediately mocking it). 

A lot of it boils down to a completely miscast Michael Cera. Yes, I know he's the "go-to" guy for quirky, edgy post-teen projects these days, and on paper, he certainly sounds good in this role. But Scott Pilgrim, ironic though he may be, is also something of an Everyman.

Michael Cera isn't, not here anyway. He's an off-the-charts dork. I'm not saying dorks don't have their place in the world, or that they can't ever get the girl. But he's all neurotic tics and ironic asides. Maybe it's because I didn't find this nearly as charming as I was supposed to, but I didn't see any chemistry between him and his love interests, and I didn't buy for a single second that any of the three women pining for him even would be interested in him.

Yup, for all the deafening buzz, I hated this movie. I had a sense from the very beginning that it wasn't for me, but I had to sit there for two more hours, growing increasingly annoyed.

But I acknowledge that the audience at the preview screening I attended showed up completely pumped — and as the movie progressed, they seemed to completely love it. Seriously, it's been a long time since I've been in such an enthusiastic audience.

I also acknowledge that plenty of non-fans of the graphic novels are going to love this film too. What's different about it is so different that most people will completely overlook what I thought were some pretty serious flaws.

In short, I'm probably in the minority here. (Hey, I'm owning it!) If you're a fan of the graphic novels, you'll probably love it.