27 August 2010 (Movie Feature)

Words: Mark 'Lenny' Linehan

If you suffer from any form of (FEP) Fast Editing Phobia, or you're completely indifferent to smart self-satisfied dialogue and breakneck scene changes, then Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is not for you.

If the answer is yes, and you're salivating over the keyboard, then the following ingredients are sure to whet your desire for some hardcore geek porn:  Role play fantasy and video games, (references to Mario Bros., Zelda and Pac-Man etc. and a narrative arc that moves through levels rather than story) Japanese high-school girls, (Knives Chau is his post break-up fling) comic books, (it was based on a celebrated series by Bryan Lee O'Malley) wannabe rock stardom, (Scott plays bass in his band 'Sex Bob-omb'), a theme song written by Beck called "We are Sex Bob-omb," hot cool girls, (Ramona looks like a grown up Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass) knowing movie/tv references (the Seinfeld send-up is inspired). Phew!

The geek overlords who recently disembarked at the annual 'Comic-Con' get together in Los Angeles gave it a resounding thumbs-up. Scott Pilgrim himself Micheal Cera even queued up with the rest of the sweaty masses disguised only by a monkey mask to see why they were willing to wait in line for hours as the sweltering heat melted their leather and plastic costumes onto their skin. He managed to pick up some free merchandise, but was busted by some uber-geeks who said they recognized his hands. Edgar Wright was there too, along with the whole cast. He tried to sneak in, but got busted, "We wore masks. I wore a Kato mask (from Michel Gondry's upcoming superhero flick The Green Hornet). It's pretty good because you can breathe properly, but I still got recognised by some people. I was actually really bummed. I wanted to get out there on the floor and buy something. It's torturous being here as a geek," he told The Guardian.

And that's why the movie works. He is a fan. A child at heart. A comic book fanboy who cut his teeth digesting every copy of 2000AD, and inspired by work from George A. Romero to John Landis. "All the films I've made, I try and almost imagine myself as a 13-year-old watching it. And I try and go back to when I was a kid and I would see Gremlins for the first time, or American Werewolf In London, or Evil Dead 2, just having my mind completely blown by them."

Wright's tireless attention to detail in this Scott Pilgrim adaptation combined with the future Them (2011) and the highly anticipated Ant-Man (2011) will ensure that this geek done good and former co-creator and director of the brilliantly realised cult comedy Spaced will be around for a long time to come.

And, in some time honoured mash-up styley, with some computer trickery Edgar Wright would be proud of, here is 'Scott Pilgrim Vs The Matrix'... Keanu never looked more animated!

 

Mark Linehan

Check out Mark, AKA 'Lenny the Movie Man' on TodayFM. Every Thursday night on KC's show 10-12midnight.
 
 

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