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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

What a refreshing movie! And this is a great example as to why I don’t watch previews in the theater and TV commercials for upcoming movies…much of the thrill of seeing this novel perspective would have been dampened.

Just a few flawz caught my attention while watching it, yet afterwards realized a couple more that kept the movie from being a classic.

Structure / Plot

It felt like something was missing the way Scott Pilgrim was a super-skilled fighter from the get-go. Since the theme was fighting for love, I thought it was obvious he would have had to learn some things in Act II in order to get stronger and fight the exes (winning the first few with wits, luck and whatnot). And, based on the video game model, he would have gotten stronger by doing the right things in his relationship with Ramona Flowers.

The relationship was thin. The creativity of the movie disguised this for a while, but it became pronounced as time went on. The theme demanded more depth and challenges to the relationship- why fight if not for true love?- and it would have made the outer fun of the story that more meaningful and memorable.

Character

This is a weakness in many romances- why the guy and girl need each other, how they complete each other. I liked Scott and Ramona as a couple, but it was only clear why she liked and needed him; he was a nice guy, the opposite of all her previous boyfriends. But while her looks caught his attraction at first, I never felt that she was anything special for him, I never felt that she completed some weakness in his life and why he would risk that life to be with her.

The end / Theme

The theme of fighting for love was simple and clear throughout the story (and a good one, I don’t recall it in any other movie). Then why did the ending get all twisted and convoluted? First Scott came back to life and realized he had to fight for his self-respect. Where did that idea come from? Yes, he had an issue in not properly ending relationships with girls, but that never felt like a big deal (especially for a 22 year-old still growing in life) and how was that about self-respect?

Worse, at the very end he decided to stick with Knives and let Ramona walk away. I hated that! Though Knives set him straight, this series of events deflated the wonderful momentum building in Act II. The finale clearly should have been Scott winning the last battle for the sake of proving and sealing his love for Ramona. Compare this to The Princess Bride, another simple love tale told with vivid imagination. It would not be regarded as a classic if its Act III had been muddled.

Character

If you think about it further, Scott hardly changed at the end and that’s a major no-no. Again, apologizing to Knives and Kim for his past mistakes with them did not feel like a big deal or his real issue.

Little thing

Scott returning to life after dying in Act III would have been more dramatic had we not seen him gain an extra life during an earlier fight. Normally things that pay off in a story must be established earlier. However, I feel the video game model- inherent with the idea of an extra life- was enough to establish it, and that the whimsical nature and visuals of the story could have presented the idea in the after-life.

Or at least the extra life could have been established in an indirect way…like early on quietly saying he would get a bonus of some kind at 6,000 points and then not showing the graphic or repeating this info when he did get that number of points…he and many in the audience would have then needed a reminder about this after his death.

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I just saw the movie for the second time within a week, something I rarely do. Scott’s issue in being a poor breaker-upper was pronounced, but I still did not see that as a matter of poor self-respect. That he cheated on Knives and Ramona was not a big deal since he was in the first stage of a relationship with Ramona and then he did end it with Knives and in a nice, clear way!

Act III was still a major problem. It’s obvious to me that Scott should have first corrected his personal flaw and then fought the last battle for Ramona.

I also noticed that the end of Act II was thin…the story had a good pace till then, but then suddenly accelerated after the fight with Ex #4. Time and details were skipped, namely Ramona getting back with Gideon and Scott hardly blinking an eye between losing Ramona and heading back out to fight for her at the start of Act III.

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