The movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was not the blockbuster it was supposed to be. I’m not entirely sure why. Its cast consisted almost entirely of big-name stars, it had a hot, young director at the peak of his powers and it possessed more glitz and style than you’ll find at New Zealand Fashion Week.
I went along and saw it when it came out in 2010 and was enamoured with its flashy, frenetic pace and hyper-kinetic style. Director Edgar Wright made his name on the brilliant Britcom Spaced with actor Simon Pegg and the pair had begun making cult hit movies together like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Wright had been rightly acclaimed for his vivid and wildly imaginative style and Scott Pilgrim was the movie that was going to catapult him into the big leagues.
Sadly, it was a box office misfire. The movie flopped harder than a portly man strolling across a lake of ice. Wright had poured everything into the film, and maybe that was the problem. While it’s a relatively straightforward boy-meets-girl-but-has-to-overcome-his-jealousy story, the visuals are absolutely, unrelentingly bonkers. It’s an accelerated fever dream mash-up of videogames, comic books, searing colours and Japanese anime.
It’s really rather good. And while it lost tens of millions of dollars, it did go on to become a cult favourite. Which brings us to today.