"We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff!"

I swear, I really appreciate this movie more every time I see it.

I first saw the manic, nightmarishly neon masterpiece that is "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" roughly a year ago, right before I left for freshman year at UND. While I remember initially just thinking the movie was good, I found that it had a way of just sticking in my head (as all Edgar Wright films inevitably do.) I've probably seen it close to a dozen times in the past year. Finally, I'm at the point where I feel almost compelled to share my thoughts on the film, regardless of how daunting a task it may seem. Plus, having not written about a movie for awhile, well . . . I really wanna get this one right. I've got three pages of notes from my latest rewatch that I'm now realizing are mostly worthless, because while I took some very detailed notes on things like lighting, story, and performances, there's so much more I want to say here than "Oh, the lighting was good." So this will only be a pseudo-review of "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World;" as such, expect a lot of non sequiturs and tangential lines of thought that I will almost certainly fail to tie together cohesively by the end of this piece. With all that aside, let's begin. (Cue epilepsy-inducing opening credits)

Also, minor disclaimer: I've spent a lot of time thinking about this movie and listening to other people's thoughts on this movie, so not everything I have to say is going to be entirely original. And while I'm not going to bother sourcing anything directly because I'm . . . lazy, I will link to some more great analysis of "Scott Pilgrim" at the end of this article.

Also, another minor disclaimer: Expect full spoilers in this review. Like, for everything. In fact, most of what I have to say is built on the basic assumption that you have seen the movie, because there's too much to say without wasting time explaining everything about the plot. But who am I kidding? I'll guarantee the vast majority of you reading this haven't seen "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World." So, if anything, consider this an appeal from me to you. It's on Netflix. If you haven't seen this movie, just go watch it. Please. Like, as a favor to me.

"Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" is a 2010 film directed by Edgar Wright, starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and a whole host of other people who have gone on to have great and illustrious careers (seriously, Chris Freaking Evans has a minor part in this movie, and it's the best thing ever.) "Scott Pilgrim" is an adaptation of Brian Lee O'Malley's classic graphic novel that I have no plans on ever reading; therefore, don't expect a lot of knowledgeable commentary on how the book may or may not be better than the movie. I don't care. In a few words, "Scott Pilgrim" can best be described as an action/rom-com coming-of-age story with musical elements. And if that seems like a lot of stuff to cram into one movie, it is. Frankly it's a small miracle this movie works as well as it does. But what's the story, you ask? Basically, Scott Pilgrim (Cera) is a twenty-three-year-old loser who falls madly in love with Ramona Flowers (Winstead), and he has to defeat her "Seven Evil Exes" in combat to win her heart.

Now, if you've read any of my other stuff (which really, why would you . . . it's probably a big waste of your time), you've probably heard me mention Edgar Wright a couple of times. Okay, more than a couple of times. But if you do need a refresher without having to resort to a Google search, this is the guy who brought us such masterpieces as the Cornetto Trilogy, and, more recently, "Baby Driver." (Click here for my thoughts on the latter). And I think Wright is probably the best place to start in trying to crack the enigma of "Scott Pilgrim." So that's what I'm about to do.

When running through a list of notable directors in Hollywood today, it's pretty easy to identify what kind of movies each prefers to make. Christopher Nolan makes mind-bending epics with fantastic practical effects. J.J. Abrams loves mystery boxes and lens flares. And Michael Bay, of course, produces bombastic, overly patriotic action spectacles with enough explosions to make your eyes bleed. But Edgar Wright is a little bit harder to type. On the surface, his movies appear quite disparate: we've got a zombie flick, a buddy cop comedy, an alien invasion thriller, a heist movie, and whatever you want to call "Scott Pilgrim." But when you look closer at the themes of each movie, the pattern is clear - Edgar Wright makes movies about people growing the hell up. He makes excellent "coming-of-age" stories about people whose lives have reached a tipping point between mediocrity and maturity. And that's what "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" is at its core - a movie about a twenty-something loser, stuck in a rut after a failed relationship, finally learning to overcome his past mistakes, respect himself, and take responsibility for who he is. Of course, it's also a movie that combines screwball comedy, rom-com, action, geek/gamer culture, musical influences and much more in one of the most stylistically perfect movies I've ever seen. Still with me? I see that glazed look in your eye. Let's dive a little deeper.

Now, I've always loved a good coming-of-age story. Obviously, as a twenty-year-old with little-to-no direction in my life, it makes sense that stories about people growing up and finding a purpose would be appealing to me. So it should be no surprise that some of my favorite movies are coming-of-age stories: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Good Will Hunting, Sing Street (If you haven't seen that last one, I can't recommend it enough - full review here.) And Scott Pilgrim puts a really interesting twist on the coming-of-age formula. For one thing, our hero, the eponymous Scott Pilgrim, is a total dick. I've already used the word "loser" to describe him twice, and I'll do it again. He's an insufferable loser. When we meet him, he's been left despondent by a breakup that's over a year old. He mopes around constantly, and he entertains a high school girl, Knives Chau, with a relationship that he's clearly not invested in (which, side note, it's super creepy that he's 23 and Knives is 17). He lives in a crappy apartment across the street from his parents, he neglects nearly all his relationships spare Ramona, and on top of that, he's a pretty shitty bassist. Yet even though everyone close to him is constantly calling him out on this, he pathologically refuses to see the error of his ways. The most stark moment of this comes in the party scene early on, when Julie, portrayed by Aubrey Plaza of "Parks and Rec" fame, runs Scott through all his failed relationships and all the people he's hurt, yet he can't own up to any of it. Throughout the movie, his bandmates, Stephen Stills and Kim Pine, grow more and more tired by him, until finally Scott sees that they're perfectly happy to replace him with "Young Neil" (sweet Crosby Stills Nash & Young reference!). And even though Scott does have some moral guidance in his life, in the forms of his sister Stacey (Anna Kendrick, a.k.a. My Soulmate Forever) and his hilariously witty roommate, Wallace Wells (portrayed by Kieran Culkin, a.k.a. "The Superior Culkin"), he routinely ignores their advice, particularly where Knives & Ramona are concerned.

Probably should break up with his fake high school girlfriend...

So yeah, Scott Pilgrim really sucks. On top of that, he's a pretentious hipster douchebag who thinks he's too cool for everything and thinks "Ciao" is an acceptable form of goodbye and punctuates far too many sentences with ". . . or whatever." I think the point I'm trying to get at is, I really would like to punch Michael Cera right in his stupid baby face.

Just look at this dweebus.

Scott's myriad of shortcomings are probably most evident in the after-party scene, both before and after the fight with Roxy (Mae Whitman, a.k.a. "Egg" from "Arrested Development"). Here, even Ramona finally takes Scott to task for all the harm he's caused - "No breakup is painless, someone always gets hurt" and how he can be just as spiteful and cruel as her other exes - "You're just another evil ex waiting to happen." This actually ties in well with another important theme of the film, although one that resonates slightly less with me: overcoming personal baggage in relationships. Everyone's got issues, and while Ramona's "Seven Evil Exes" is a truly extreme manifestation of this baggage, they're a placeholder for the more pedestrian issues we all find in our relationships. Wright masterfully weaves together these two main themes, of relationship baggage and self-respect, throughout the film, culminating in the final showdown with Gideon "G-Man" Graves. But more on that later.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't take a detour to talk for an inordinate amount of time about how much I love the style of this movie. "It feels like a video game," "It feels like a comic book," "It feels like a music video . . ." it's all been said before. Whatever aspect of nerd culture you might relate to, this movie has it. And yes, I am aware the original graphic novel is a manga and this movie draws a lot of style cues from that . . . I don't care about manga, but I recognize the influences. To me, the sheer amount of visual spectacle Wright infuses this movie with is enough to make it entertaining at the very least. Whether it's the hilariously timed subtitles, the mind-bogglingly creative use of transitions, the synesthetic use of visuals to represent music and audio . . . or anything else . . . there's always something happening on screen to draw your attention in.

"Don't you know? Todd's vegan."

There are so many subtle layers of humor in "Scott Pilgrim" that reward multiple viewing; I always seem to catch some new detail with each rewatch. For example, I recently caught a sign saying "DO NOT SIT" on a furniture-store couch next to Scott that I hadn't seen before (which also goes to show what a pretentious d-bag this guy really is).

Seriously, it's baffling how many little, quirky gags are stuffed inside this movie. But that's just what you get with a guy like Edgar Wright behind the camera.

"Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" is, in my opinion, the perfect marriage of a grounded story with heightened, surrealist style. Like I said, we've all had to overcome obstacles in relationships before. Usually those obstacles aren't death matches with a league of ex-boyfriends (exes!) out to kill us, but hey, to each his own. And aside from the wacky visual stuff, the film starts out pretty realistic. Slowly, the film becomes a little more dreamlike when Scott first meets Ramona (literally, in a dream, as it turns out). But as soon as Matthew Patel busts through the roof of the Toronto International Battle of the Bands, things just go off. And the movie is all the better for that. The heightened reality of "Scott Pilgrim," as it turns out, is perfect for conveying that giddy feeling that falling in love can give us. Everything's a little more intense. In fact, Scott even says as much pretty early on, as he and Ramona walk through a snow-covered park: "When I'm with you, things sort of seem a little brighter."

Now, I should probably at least take a moment to shout out some of the best performances in "Scott Pilgrim." Right off the bat, everyone in this movie is perfect - perfect casting, perfect delivery, everything - but obviously, there are a few standouts. As I mentioned earlier, Chris Evans steals the F#CKING SHOW for a solid 10 minutes as the delightfully douchebaggy action star Lucas Lee, before he is defeated by Scott.

Rip Lucas Lee, always in our hearts.

Brandon Routh, the one-time Superman, takes the as my second favorite evil ex, the "incorrigible" (he doesn't know the meaning of the word) bassist Todd Ingram, who stole Scott's big ex, Natalie "Envy" Adams away from him.

Quick tangent: The whole vegan superpowers/ "Vegan Police" bit is pure comedy gold and it brings about my single favorite laugh in the entire movie, right after Scott head-butts Todd out of existence. As Scott gingerly holds his head, we see in the background the two Vegan Policemen running off in slow-mo and high-fiving.

Vegan police - Scott Pilgrim Scene.www.youtube.com

Okay, we're back. With each rewatch I love the drummer Kim Pine more and more, primarily because she's got the most beautifully deadpan delivery I've ever seen, and she stalwartly refuses to take shit from f#cking anybody. Probably should've put a language warning on this piece, but hey . . . it's a movie I care about. Now who else? I'm running through a list in my head . . . I already commended Wallace Wells (Culkin), Gideon (Schwartzmann), Julie (Kendrick *xoxo*). It feels like a cop out to just say "Props to everybody for being perfect in every way," but hey, there really isn't a performance in this movie I don't enjoy.

And obviously, major shout-outs to Cera, Winstead, and Ellen Wong (a.k.a. Knives Chau) for anchoring the story of this movie. Michael Cera uses the same quirky, soft-spoken mannerisms he does in most things, but it's still really fun to watch. And Winstead especially does a great job as the enigmatic Ramona Flowers. While she isn't given the most character development, I think there's a point to this. She's supposed to be cold and emotionally distant; there's a scene just after the Katayanagi battle where Scott calls her out on this. For the film to work, we the audience need to fall in love with Ramona the way Scott does, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead really makes it happen. So good job, everybody.

Another quick tangent: This is easily one of the most quotable comedies I've seen in a long time. And I'm actually having trouble thinking of any right now, just because of the sheer volume to choose from and because it's late and I'm tired, but trust me. This movie has quotes for days.

But as much as I would like to believe otherwise, "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" isn't flawless. The pacing starts to drag ever so slightly in the back half of the second act, after the Roxy fight. This all leads up to the somewhat lackluster "Amp vs. Amp" battle with the Katayanagi Twins, easily the most uninteresting of the evil exes. The showdown between bands is undeniably visually spectacular, but mostly inconsequential to the rest of the story. Although, it does give us that awesome exchange between Steven & Scott as Scott reaches for an extra life token - "What are you doing?/Getting a life."

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - Getting a life! 1Upwww.youtube.com

This moment might as well come with a flashing arrow that says "THIS IS THE THEME OF THE MOVIE PAY ATTENTION PLEASE." See, a coming of age story . . .

And that brings me quite nicely to the finale of the film, the showdown with Gideon "G-Man" Graves in the aptly named Chaos Theatre. Here, we finally see Scott exhibit some kind of character development as he maybe, just maybe learns a lesson or two. For the first time in an hour and a half of runtime, he actually shows some agency as he storms the Theatre & demands a fight with Gideon. There's another great moment between Scott & Steven, where Steven urges Scott to leave and not give Gideon the satisfaction of Scott's humiliation, with Scott replying "What if I want the satisfaction?" (Again, hinting at a theme, maybe . . .?)

Then, of course, Scott declares his love for Ramona and unlocks the mythical "Power of Love," represented by a badass, hot pink katana that he proceeds to dice up a room full of faceless ninjas with. Cool stuff, for sure. But after a four-way showdown with Gideon, Ramona, and a bitter Knives, Scott is killed and finds himself left despondent in a desolate wasteland afterlife.

Sidenote: "Desolate Wasteland Afterlife" is a decent name for a punk band. I call dibs.

Like Huey Lewis & The News once said, "That's the Power of Love"

Still, Scott has a few lessons to learn. And in a moment that was awesomely foreshadowed earlier, that extra life comes in handy and Scott is given a second chance to set things right. The first key difference this time around is we see our hero apologize to his friends for being such a shitty bandmate, and to Kim for being an asshole in a previous relationship that's only hinted at.

Another sidenote: This may be the first and only time we see Kim even half crack a smile in the entire movie, and it's just beautiful.

"You want to fight me . . . for her?"

"No, I wanna fight you for me."

If I had to point to one line of dialogue to sum up the entire theme of "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World," it would be Scott's reply here (along with maybe that "Getting a life" moment earlier). With this line, Scott unlocks the "Power of Self-Respect," which proves to be stronger than the "Power of Love" sword because this is what Wright & O'Malley have been trying to make clear this whole time. Self-respect. Do what you do for you, not for anybody else. Take responsibility for your life and who you are, and that means everything about who your are. The good and the bad aspects of yourself. And most of all, love yourself, because if you can't, then how can someone else be expected to? In the moment of truth, Scott's power of self-respect trumps his power of love. It's a beautiful idea, really, and a really big one to present for what could have come off as another generic romantic comedy.

Okay, but crushingly deep thematic meanings aside, this movie is honestly just so goddamn relatable. I truly think that any young adult whose ever gotten that sense that Maybe life is really just heading nowhere . . . can find something to identify with here, and let's be honest, that description is pretty true to your typical college student in this wonderful time we call 2018.

So let's try to tie things up as concisely as possible here. At first glance, "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" might seem like little more than a really quirky romantic comedy about a group of millennial hipsters. But once you start peeling back its myriad of thematic layers, a really powerful story about growing up, finding a purpose, and loving yourself and others emerges. So cue that overly sappy Beck soundtrack and let's fade to black on this bloated behemoth of a movie analysis. I'm so sorry, everyone. I just really love this film.

More great "Scott Pilgrim" stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pij5lihbC6k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YezF4I1Wg94

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHNn3bSsTsM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95Q6gcw3iTk