Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

As if the 8-bit version of the Universal opening theme song wasn't awesome enough to make you love this movie, the rest of the movie just kicks ass. Suffice to say that although I've never seen any other movies by Edgar Wright (I know, it's a crime that I have yet to watch "Hot Fuzz" or "Shaun of the Dead" and I suppose I could watch either movie when it shows up on TV, but I hate commercials. So, Netflix queue, here they come!), after watching "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" for, like, ten times, I can say, by the authority vested in me as someone who loves kick-ass movies, that Edgar Wright is officially the most awesome director...at least of the past six months. Because I love this movie so much, I'm not sure I can communicate anything coherently. So, in lieu of a brilliant, lucid, succinct review, and as a homage to Nick Hornby's novel "High Fidelity", I offer the following list: Ten Awesome Things about "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" 1. The soundtrack. The Pixies, low-fi bass rifts, Beck-inspired singles, and Beachwood Sparks and their cover of Sade's "By Your Side" are just some of the reasons that this soundtrack rocks every second of the movie. 2. The Smashing Pumpkin t-shirts. Any movie that make any reference to the Smashing Pumpkins is cool in my book. (Sadly, though, not a single SP song is used in the film.) 3. It takes place in Canada. Canada's cool. 4. It is framed as a classic video game of the classic Nintendo variety. (Who doesn't remember playing Super Mario for all those coins?) 5. The trivia about Pac Man is erudite yet funny. 6. The soundtrack (Okay, it's so awesome it deserves two slots on this Top Ten list.) 7. The script. It's clever, witty, snappy, hella funny, and so true to-yet removed from real life with some of the greatest, most awesome-est lines ever. Here's a taste and by no means is this an exhaustive list: * "Listen, I was thinking, we should break up...or whatever." * "We gotta get some buzz goin'. We need ground swell. We need stalkers." * "What? I'm not afraid to hit a girl. I'm a rock star." * "You punched the highlights out of her hair!" * "I was just a little bi-curious./Well, honey, I'm a little bi-furious!" * "I'm in Lesbians with you." * "Well if my cathedral of cutting edge taste holds no interest for your tragically Canadian sensibilities, then I shall be forced to grant you a swift exit from the premises...and a fast entrance into hell!" * "Dying's gotta suck./You know what's sucks? Getting killed by that guy." * "Young Neil, you have learned well. From this point forward, you will be known as: Neil.") 8. The movie is faithful to the story's graphic novel origins. In fact, the complete 7-volume set is sitting in my Amazon.com wish list. (Hint, hint, nudge, nudge anyone for my birthday or just because!) 9. Bleeping out the profanity. It helped me allow my kids to watch it and love it with me. (Not that that's ever stopped me before given that I agree with John Milton's argument in "Areopagitica" that cloistered virtue is no virtue at all.) 10. Bass Battle. `Nuff said. This movie is so awesome that a Top Ten list cannot do it justice. So, here are Ten More Awesome Things about "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" that didn't quite make the list: 1. The character, Comeau, played by Nelson Franklin: a douche bag who knows everyone but knows nothing. (Greatest line, when listening to a live performance of a band, "You should see them live, they're much better live.") 2. Did I mention that the soundtrack rocks? 3. My wife and kids love it as much as I do. (Well, maybe not as much as I do.) 4. One of the shortest songs ever performed in a movie: "We hate you; please die." 5. The pee-meter. 6. One of the coolest band names ever with the coolest intros. ( "We are Sex Bob-omb and we're here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff.") 7. Chris Evans (you know, The Human Torch from "Fantastic Four" and the next Captain America) as Lucas Lee, a caricature of the action hero with the commiserate caricature lines like "Kiss me, I'm dying," or "The only thing keeping me and her apart are the two minutes it's gonna take for me to kick your ass." 8. Michael Cera doing choreographed martial arts proves that lanky geeks can fight! 9. Bill Hader's over-the-top narration. 10. Vegan Police. (You'll have to watch the movie to see what that's all about.) For these reasons, and so much more, I give "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" 10 out of 5 bass guitars.

Great movie for a good price

Scott Pilgrim vs the World is one of my favorite movies, but I had yet to get round to buying it on 4K. When I finally did, I was annoyed to discover that there was no digital code inside the case, despite the fact it was factory sealed and has a Digital copy advertised all over the case. This exact same thing happened earlier this year when I ordered John Carpenter's The Thing on 4K. Both films are Universal releases. For some reason, neither movie came with a digital code in the package (I actually returned The Thing to Amazon for a replacement, and the second copy lacked a digital code as well). Fortunately, Universal customer support will help if you contact them about the situation. They will ask you to provide photos of the front of the case, the back of the case, and the contents of the case (I have included the photos I sent to customer support to my review) after which they will send you a replacement digital code. So if you find yourself code-less when purchasing a Universal release, just reach out to customer support and they will make you whole.

One point that came up in the official movie critics' reviews was that this film couldn't be understood by anyone over 25. Baloney! My twenties are long gone, I don't play video games, and I've never read the SP books. But, I freaking LOVE Scott Pilgrim vs. The World! Found it accidently while flipping through HBO channels. Watched it with an initial reaction of "What in the....?" Then I just started laughing and never stopped till the end. SPVTW has been my latest and hardiest movie addiction, and I am enjoying the high. Thank goodness I have enough friends in their twenties, as well as young-at-heart older friends who can also get a kick out of it. Will this be a cult classic? It already is! I won't do a synopsis, since you can look that up on the product page. But here is a list of some pros: * Funny as hell!! Well scripted, smart and clever. * Wonderful ensemble cast. There is no one in it that was slacking off. Big hugs to every character. * Stunning design and effects. Inspired direction and editing. Props to all the film crew. Beautiful! * The movie flows with an organic, colorful, spastic energy that whips you along like the most insane rollercoaster. All you need to enjoy it is a sense of humor and adventurous fun, an appreciation for the weird and offbeat and the desire to experience a new kind of movie magic. Since it is such an unusual offering, do rent it first if you're not sure. But, I guarantee...most of you will be back to buy. :) Caveat to the uptight: This film is a COMIC BOOK movie! Do not expect depth of plot or profound revelations here. Pure empty-calorie yumminess. Snickers, not spinach. Special XXXXXXX (not the evil kind) to Edgar Wright - you maniac! - for creating an amazing world we want to visit again and again.

It's my favorite video game movie, and watching it in 4K HDR is just great, very funny, great effects, and flawless image quality, it takes up the entire screen of my TV Without those ugly black margins from almost every movie

Movie is amazing and wanted to but the 4k version with the digital code but sadly just like all the reviews said there is no digital code i honestly thought I was going to be lucky but nope amazing move none the less

*Scott Pilgrim* is amazing. Edgar Wright is one of the most refreshing, original auteurs out there today. He's playful and irreverent and inventive. *Shaun of the Dead* turned the zombie film on its head, and *Hot Fuzz* was ... possibly its own category altogether. With *Scott Pilgrim*, Wright has brought to the screen a comic book that was a comic-book version of video games. And it is perfect, one of the best book-to-screen adaptations I have ever seen. The attention to detail is astonishing. It wasn't until I turned the special trivia feature on the DVD that I caught half the things Wright had slipped in--the number of the various exes (especially the 7s hidden in Gideon's logo), the choice of music, an item of clothing. The casting was perfect. A lot of people say that Michael Cera just plays the same character over and over--and I disagree. His characters may have something in common--they are generally awkward young adults--but he provides subtle variations. Also, his comic timing and line delivery are excellent. Having read the comic books, I'm amazed at how much more humor Cera brings to a line taken straight from the book just from his inflection (e.g. "BREAD MAKES YOU FAT????"). Whether this is from Cera's mind or with the help of Wright's direction, I don't know, but he's amazing in the title role. The supporting characters are all also well cast--and look *exactly* like their counterparts in the comic books. Alison Pill as Kim Pine is a standout, but all the secondary characters are well cast. The soundtrack is also wonderful and playful. Sex Bob-omb's songs are written by Beck, and it shows. I can't wait to see what Edgar Wright does next.

Movie looks amazing in 4k well worth the watch.