Edgar Wright is one of the most exciting and visually ambitious filmmakers of this generation and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is one of his most compelling and rich movies. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World tells a story about romance and growing up, but presents the ordinary story in a manner that's anything but. Scott Pilgrim is a classic example of a movie that wasn't appreciated upon its release but has comfortably grown into a cult classic a decade later.
It’s also a movie that's way ahead of the curve when it comes to comic book adaptations. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is one of the more loving comic book movies, but it's also such a passionate love letter to video games that makes it a unique hybrid.
10 Comic Book Movie: It's Literally Adapted From A Graphic Novel
Context is everything and obviously, video games are incredibly important to both Scott Pilgrim the character as well as the series' author, Brian Lee O'Malley, but Edgar Wright's movie conjures a comic book feeling because it's literally an adaptation of a comic book.
This may seem like a benign detail, but it does play a factor here and it makes a difference in how Wright adapts O'Malley's source material. If Scott Pilgrim had started as a video game, then Wright would've definitely utilized a slightly different approach.
9 Video Game Movie: Its Very Structure Resembles A Video Game
There's a lot of video game iconography that consumes Scott Pilgrim, but it's hard to deny its video game influence when the entire structure of the movie pulls from video game plotting. Scott has to defeat seven evil exes like they're the bosses in a video game.
Scott literally accrues points and gains an extra life 1-Up that he's able to use to resurrect himself and replay the experience, only to come out victorious this time around. Scott is better the second time around, just like how gamers are when they play through a level for the second time.
8 Comic Book Movie: It Follows Comic Book Style Exposition
There's a certain language to comic books that becomes second nature to those that regularly enjoy the medium. There's a very particular way in which comic books introduce characters and dispense exposition, which seems natural in the medium, but is awkward in a conventional movie.
However, Scott Pilgrim absolutely follows these comic staples. Panel-like bios adorn characters and the movie pulls tricks right out of O'Malley's graphic novel. Similarly, there's a certain way that video games give out exposition that the movie could have adopted, but doesn't.
7 Video Game Movie: The Movie Is Filled With Video Game References
Video games fill Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World at every turn. There are overt video game references, like the library list of gaming that Young Neil dispenses or the use of The Legend of Zelda music as a clever aural trigger.
There's even a chiptune version of the movie's theme that concludes the movie's end credits. Beyond these surface references, there are also more subtle video game references like how the bands in the movie, like Sex Bob-Omb and The Clash at Demonhead, are nods to Nintendo titles. There's a clear passion for it in the movie's very DNA.
6 Comic Book Movie: It Has A Comic Book Animated Sequence
Edgar Wright likes to mix different styles that reflect his different influences as a filmmaker and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World indulges in this compulsion in some fun ways. The film is incredibly faithful to Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novel, but he delivers an extended tribute to the creator with a flashback scene that's done in the style of O'Malley's comic.
This comic-style backstory for Ramona is a fun change of pace, but there's alternatively no sequence that's animated to look like a video game. Comics overrule here.
5 Video Game Movie: Video Games Are Integral To The Plot
It's one thing for a movie to just reference video games a lot, but Scott Pilgrim actually uses them as important plot points and triggers for character development because it's the only language that the regressive Scott understands.
Scott's performance on the Dance Dance Revolution-esque team game becomes a barometer for his relationships, he frequently turns to a Pac-Man anecdote as an icebreaker, and his enemies even turn into money upon defeat, which Scott can actually use. His emotional growth literally rewards him with a flaming sword that he uses to defeat the actual threats in his life.
4 Comic Book Movie: It's Editing & Cinematography Creates A Comic Feel
All of Edgar Wright's movies are visual masterpieces, but Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World makes use of so many tricks that are now the norm in superhero and comic book films. There's a style to Scott Pilgrim's editing and cinematography that intentionally creates the sensation of looking at panels in a comic book.
Wright layers information on top of itself to play into comic archetypes and even the movie's editing is done to emphasize this feeling. There are references to video games, but stylistically it's much more like a comic.
3 Video Game Movie: Its Opening & Ending Reference Video Games
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World throws a lot at the audience, but right from the start, it bombards the audience with an overwhelming video game aesthetic. The movie begins with an 8-bit version of the Universal logo, complete with a chiptune version of the iconic music.
This perfectly sets the tone, but the movie also concludes with a poignant "Continue?" screen that completes a perfect video game metaphor. Even the very end of the end credits include a Street Fighter reference where an 8-bit Scott beats up “The End.” Audiences are left thinking about video games as the movie ends.
2 Comic Book Movie: The Action Sequences Pull More From Comics Than Video Games
After several decades of comic book movies, there's now a certain visual style and language that's been established. The same is true with video game movies, to some extent. Scott Pilgrim engages in a number of exaggerated fight sequences, many of which allude to video games, but their presentation style immediately brings comics and superheroes to mind.
It's easy to watch Scott Pilgrim and view Wright as a natural fit to helm a superhero movie and why he was briefly in charge of Ant-Man. Scott Pilgrim is a crash course on how to create unique, effective comic fight sequences.
1 Video Game Movie: It's Been Turned Into A Video Game
Video game adaptations for movies aren't uncommon, but they can often come across as empty cash grabs. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a rare occasion where the game demands a video game. The Scott Pilgrim video game is a retro sidescroller akin to something like Streets of Rage.
It's a stylistic decision that's another confirmation of just how much respect and passion there is towards the video game medium. It works extra hard to satisfy requirements that are largely only important to the gaming audience and it makes them the priority rather than just fans of the movie.
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