Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (spoilers? you tell me)

For my first actual post, I guess it's only fitting to talk about my favorite movie: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, although I might and probably will talk about the comics from time to time (also my favorite comic book series).

People ask me all the time why I love this movie so much. From first look, it's hard to find a reason. It certainly didn't fare well in the box office, losing over $50 million dollars in the budget. The trailers, from a non fan perspective, weren't very inviting. The "Micheal Cera effect" also caused people to find another movie to throw their money at. It didn't help that movies such as The Expendables and Eat, Pray, Love were released at the same time. Finally, they did not give out enough information about the plot, so most people's first thoughts about the movie were that it was about  a guy dating a girl who has bitter ex boyfriends. Also hipsters.

"This will be the whole movie" - them

The truth is that the story is so much deeper than a glorified movie about high school drama that everybody thought was going to be. I think that DOB perfectly articulated it here:

"I don't think I've ever been angry when the rest of the country didn't like a piece of pop culture that I liked, but I am now. I've always been one of those "It's cool if you don't like Arrested Development or Clone High, whatever, that's your thing." 

But I'm bummed that Scott Pilgrim is under-performing so spectacularly. I loved this movie so, so much and, beyond that, loved what it was doing. It was like someone said "Hey, you know how people like concerts? And great comedy? And totally badass, well-choreographed serious fight sequences? And romance? What if we broke all the rules and put the best parts of all of those things INTO ONE MOVIE?" And they did, and did so in a way that didn't disrupt the spirit of the movie or the comics. Someone took a bunch of fun, awesome things and made the most exciting experience I've had watching a movie since I don't know when. I thought the beginning was a little bit slow and I was worried for about the first six minutes, but once it picked up I was hooked. As I was watching it I thought "Well, Edgar Wright did it, he just raised the bar for movies." 

But now no one is going to see this movie."

Edgar Wright, at his best, made a spectacular film that perfectly embodied everything I ever loved and I didn't even know I loved but do now. It featured music numbers from fictional bands and a dance number by some Indian dude. It showed an epic bass battle between the main protagonist and a guy who had superpowers that came from his healthy lifestyle. It even had goddamn Captain America skateboarding on a rail. Did I also mention that it had two dragons and King Kong fistfighting against each other?

Seriously.

But beyond all the glitter and jazz of the special effects and pee bars, the story was just as deep and mature as it was entertaining. Ramona Flowers, who moved away to Toronto in an attempt to escape an oppressive lifestyle, reluctantly agreed to go out with Scott with the knowledge that he was just a "simple" rebound. As time went on, they discovered each other's ugly sides and by the end of the movie, they were in silent agreement that they'll stick with each other no matter what. It's definitely cheesy, but it's absolutely poetic and it works.

All in all, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the comics (especially the comics) tell a tale that seamlessly combines comedy, romance, music, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead into a perfect brew that's sure to be a crowd pleaser, despite what the numbers say. It may not be the best movie ever made, but it certainly is my favorite movie ever made, and I have a feeling that it will remain that way for a long time.