Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a twenty-something slacker living in Toronto, who basically leeches off his friends. Despite being in a “relationship” with Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), he keeps dreaming about another girl. He quickly finds out this dream girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), is actually quite real, and decides to pursue her. But before they can truly become the couple Scott hopes for, he has to defeat her seven evil exes.

I did not think it was possible, but Edgar Wright has quite successfully brought Bryan Lee O’Malley’s epic graphic novel series to the big screen in the most uniquely entertaining way possible. It is his first adapted work, but it feels every bit as fresh (I use that word very loosely) as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz did upon their initial releases. It deviates from the books a bit (much like Matthew Vaughn’s excellent adaptation of Kick-Ass earlier this year), but the majority of the film stays true to the series and gives fans everything they might expect from a Scott Pilgrim film. Right after the film opens with an 8-bit Universal logo and score, you know you are in for a treat.

What propels Wright’s epic and inspired vision is the editing style. All of the little idiosyncrasies, background/foreground items and ideas -- everything that made O’Malley’s books so revered in the graphic novel community are all in full force here. Some shots in the trailers suggest the comic book feel of the film, with the sounds appearing as words on-screen and the video game-related pop-ups appearing the same way they would in the game. But that is only the start. The entire film is filled with them, and with references to numerous pop culture entities (specifically video games). Add to that the quick cuts and multiple panel style of the format, and you quickly realize that Wright has manipulated the film to the point that it looks and sounds like a ridiculously enhanced motion comic. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is easily the closest film representation of a comic since Robert Rodriguez attacked Frank Miller’s Sin City.

Even with all the nods and references to the original work, Wright’s film still feels very much his own. He makes Scott Pilgrim’s epic quest to defeat Ramona’s evil exes into an understated work you will likely not see replicated too soon. After seeing Christopher Nolan’s Inception just a few weeks ago, I did not think that mainstream Hollywood would release something so blazingly original and so astonishingly unique so close together. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is not nearly as strong a film as Nolan’s masterpiece is, but Wright has clearly given everything he has to bring his epic vision to life. This is his third major film release, and while it is his most ambitious work, it cements his status as one of the premiere filmmakers of the new millennium. He has refrained from following the lead of other comic book/graphic novel-style films, and has created something he can truly be proud of. The visuals on display are simply remarkable, and are worth the price of a ticket all on their own. The musical choices are even better. If you have seen the trailers, you are only merely getting a hint of what Wright has in store for you here.

If I do have an issue, it is that the film is a little too exposition-heavy in the first half, and way too jumpy in the second. It never loses its tone or its style, but it becomes all too blatantly obvious where the books stop and the deviation begins. Having seen Hot Fuzz multiple times and Shaun of the Dead more times than I can even begin to count, I know that Wright’s style is one soaked in ADD. But here, it just feels like Wright was unable to completely maintain his grip on the material at any one time. There are far too many uneven moments, and too many instances where it looks quite noticeable that material was chopped right out. I am almost completely certain there will be a bounty of deleted and extended scenes on the eventual DVD/Blu-ray releases. I understand that Wright and his co-writer Michael Bacall wanted to set-up the story and where it plans on going for the few who venture into the film without having read a single issue of the series, not to mention cramming six 200-page graphic novels into one two hour film. But there is too much detail given in the early scenes, and not enough to pivotal moments late in the film. There easily could have been much more brevity than there was.

Another gripe, although it is one I hope will be less bothersome on repeat viewings, is that a good chunk of the characters feel incredibly underused. The books are stacked to the brim with an eclectic mix of supporting characters that inhabit Scott Pilgrim’s zany existence and pop up quite frequently in each issue. A good majority of them are present in the film (a handful of characters are missing entirely), but they feel very stunted and get absolutely no development. Kim Pine (Alison Pill) is a very important character in the books, but she merely appears in the background here, though she does deliver some of the best dialogue. Wallace Wells (the absolutely incredible scene-stealer Kieran Culkin) is the moral centre and source of an incredible amount of exposition, but he is barely in the film after the first half. Envy Adams (Brie Larson) almost feels like an extended cameo as opposed to the indispensible figure in Scott’s character development. But then, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh and especially Jason Schwartzman all deliver stunning performances as three of Ramona’s exes, despite their lack of screen time, so the effects on the stable of supporting characters seems to vary depending on the actor and performance.

Cera on the other hand, is perfect as Pilgrim. The character plays a little too close to the stereotypical neurotic and off-centre archetypes he has perfected and overplayed since Superbad, but it works out beautifully here. Make no mistake: Cera plays Pilgrim exactly how O’Malley wrote him. He makes the character real, and brings a depth to Scott Pilgrim that no other young actor could. He has the right look and the right sound down pat. It was a little weird to see him get so physical in some of the fighting sequences, but this is a vintage fit for Cera. Being a homegrown Brampton native only helps add to the authenticity he brings to Pilgrim. Now, if he can bridge some of the more dramatic and action-savvy portions of the character into his next performance, we may finally see this guy do something different on film.

Although they are downplayed more than I liked, Winstead and Wong are great as Ramona and Knives. They both have a certain edge throughout the film, and even at its most ridiculous, deliver strong performances. Wong seems more able to easily adapt to what the material throws at her, but both of these actresses are good fits for their characters. It helps too that they have insanely good chemistry with the often buffoonish Cera.

I managed to catch Scott Pilgrim vs. the World at an incredibly advanced screening just a week after the huge premiere at Comic-Con. And even with its problematic nature, I cannot help but feel inclined to venture back. The film will likely gain cult status quite quickly, but Wright deserves just as much credit as Nolan has been getting for Inception. He has created a live action film that feels more like a cartoon than those that have come before, and has created what is easily the most true-to-form comic book adaptation we have seen thus far. Where other filmmakers only use the smallest of threads to connect their films to the original works, Wright has embraced O’Malley’s novels and has done them true justice. It is obvious that Wright loves these books in just how lovingly made the film proves to be. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is unlike any other film you will see this year, and likely will not be replicated soon enough. And coming off the heels of Inception that is incredibly high praise. Any fan of comics, or the film medium, owes it to themselves to see Scott Pilgrim. If this is the future of filmmaking, I just hope the scripts can match up to the visuals.

  -- David Baldwin

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