Rating: 3 of 5  

At it’s most basic level, it’s well done. It’s sleek and cool and fun.

The concept is definitely fun and interesting and well executed. Story was good and had some nice depth and nuances. There’s some really innovative directing and editing, cutting to new locations in scenes and stuff. Most of the acting was good, and where it was stilted or dry I get the impression it was supposed to be as part of the aesthetic of the film so I don’t fault it. Fun cast of known actors to play her ex-boyfriends. Special effects were all top-notch and highlighted the video game sensibility of the film. It really felt more like a video game movie than a comic book movie.

And I enjoyed it, mostly.

But I also feel like I didn’t quite speak the right language for it, if that makes sense. It feels like a cult movie that was designed for kids in their early 20s. Sociologically, I think they would enjoy it in a different dimension that I can’t understand because I don’t see the world the way they do and I don’t quite speak the same language. I’m Gen X. This is the first movie I’ve seen where I distinctly felt the difference between my generation and those that came after.

That could also be because this film reminds me so much of the cult films from when I was in college. I kid you not, Scott Pilgrim has the action and video game sensibilities of Mortal Kombat, the devoted love thread of Mallrats and the frivolous sensibility of Empire Records. You combine those three movies into one and rebrand them for a new generation and you’ve got Scott Pilgrim.

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