Guns, Girl, Action!: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

One man and a league of seven exes unite to fight for “love”. The 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, adapted from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s popular graphic novels, is pure brilliance. Although this video game themed movie is filled with a vast amount of witty comedy and written like it is made for pure fantasy, the action in this movie is precise and on point.

Just a twenty-three year old Canadian, Scott Pilgrim seems to be a “regular” protagonist in a “basic” life as he plays lead bass in his friends’ band and finds time in his “typical” schedule to hang out with underage girlfriend Knives Chau; this is Scott’s life. One particular afternoon he comes across a pink-headed girl named Ramona Flowers who he falls for quickly with hopes to get her by fighting off her heinous ex-boyfriends, seven ex-boyfriends. Ramona Flowers is an unpredictable and metaphorical heroine who is forced to play the damsel-in-distress throughout the film in order shine light of heroism on Scott Pilgrim.

Analyzing this film, the audience notices the video game layout pretty quickly within the beginning; you don’t have to be an official gamer to understand the inner workings of how a game is ultimately constructed. Throughout the entire film, Scott deals with an ultimatum of figuring out if this “dream” girl he found is really worth dying over. Every time he comes across one of Ramona’s ex-boyfriends, their number appears in the scene whether it be in the background: on a tree, on a shirt, on a lamppost, etc. This technique not only helps the viewer know what is happening at all times but allows Scott to understand the intensity he will need to fight to go to the next round. Also, the music throughout the film always presented an idea of how powerful each scene of the film would be and allowed each character a transition in and out of the movie.

After fighting in band venues, streets at night, night clubs and movie sets to win a girls heart, Scott Pilgrim comes to a point in the film where he would be proud to admit his own defeat. The whole point the writers were trying to get across is that love isn’t what conquers all, it is self-respect; in the end Scott needed to fight for himself. This film isn’t just an action film but has a comical approach to what our generation wants to see when it comes to fighting for something. There is no such thing as a lost cause in his world.