A true video-game film. (Review of "Scott Pilgrim vs the World")

In 2003, after a seven year absence, Quentin Tarantino unleashed the first volume of his film, Kill Bill, on the world. It was a joyous blast of brilliantly staged violence, and deliciously well-crafted dialogue. However, more so, it was a regurgitation of the pop culture that Tarantino had absorbed, particularly during the '60s and '70s. Not only did it reference films of various periods, but television programs, commercials, songs, etc. It was a visual capsule of what came before.


Since its release, many films have surely strived to entertain, but could hardly be referred to as products of the past, as Kill Bill was.

Edgar Wright's adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim comic book series, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, however, might be not only this decade's equivalent, but superior to Tarantino's film.

In addition to carrying exuberant storytelling, and an idiosyncratic sense of humor, Pilgrim is also an accumulation of geek culture of the past few decades. Fight sequences are staged as video game/arcade boss battles, accompanied by appropriate music. Scenes are regularly augmented by visual onomatopoeia, in the style of a comic book. The majority of the soundtrack is culled from works as varied as "The Legend of Zelda" and "Seinfeld."

Although the film is a natural progression for Wright, having incorporated games like "Tekken" and "Resident Evil 2" into the storytelling of his television series, Spaced, it's clearly his ambitious as well, easily topping the similarly audacious Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz within minutes. Many attempts are made to capture the tone of comic books, often costing from $150-200 million, but Wright's effort succeeds considerably, with less than half of the budget. It isn't simply replicating the frames; it is keeping the intent of those frames valid.

What also helps is casting the right people, and even if Wright failed on his terms, his stellar group of actors would have been able to pick up the slack. Every great young female actress is in this film, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick, and Aubrey Plaza, and doing nothing short of their best. However, Ellen Wong, largely an unknown prior to being cast as Knives, gave, by far, the most compelling, spirited performance of the film. Her energetic disposition is infectious, and tonally complimentary to the piece. Cera, often referred to as a one-trick-pony, doesn't necessarily give a 180, but makes enough interesting choices with the material to distinguish Pilgrim from his other characters.

Revolutionary as it is entertaining, Pilgrim will resonate greatly with the 8-bit generation.