
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
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I watched this a few nights ago. Seriously, it was one of the most fun movies I've seen in a long time - I laughed my head off 
Sure, he was a jerk, and he didn't deserve either of the girls - but he showed promise by the end of the movie. Honestly, condemning him for his past would be pointless, as we've all been jerks at one time or another. Maybe not to the extent that Scott was, but the point is still valid.

Sure, he was a jerk, and he didn't deserve either of the girls - but he showed promise by the end of the movie. Honestly, condemning him for his past would be pointless, as we've all been jerks at one time or another. Maybe not to the extent that Scott was, but the point is still valid.
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Saw this a few nights ago and had high expectations as I've heard many good things about it. I thought it was average. I didn't hate it but it didn't resonate either. Guess I just didn't get it.
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I didn't expect to like it at all. In fact, I went to the movies intending to see something else, but that one was sold out. So I saw Pilgrim, and loved it. I mean, I didn't think it was a masterpiece, or anything, but it was just a cool, clever movie that could be enjoyed for what it was. I watch action movies for the same reasons, although I have to say it's harder to find an action movie that succeeds as well as Pilgrim.
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Just watched this.
I actually went out of my way to read all the comics before seeing the film. (I'm more of a book person, and I'd rather have the comics influence my view of the film than vice versa.) I'm not sure what I'd have thought of the film if I hadn't read the books first, but comparing the two gives some interesting thorughts on the way they work.
First, I have to say, Michael Cera just doesn't pull it off that well. He only seems to be able to act in one way, and it didn't really do justice to Scott Pilgrim ("Rating: Awesome"). I'm not sure I would have really "got" the character from his performance.
The "Seinfeld" scene was terrible and didn't work.
That said, they captured the feel of the comic pretty well, and the parts that followed scenes from the comic closely were among the best moments in the film. It fell prey to some common missteps in places, though, where it deviated.
There were a lot of lines written for the film that seemed to try to ape Brian Lee O'Malley's style of writing in the comic, but came out like a poor imitation. Most of the bad puns in the later fight scenes were new.
There was a moment near the end, when Scott stops Knives and Ramona from fighting (the second time) and admits that he hurt both of them, when a slow, sappy kind of music comes up softly in the background - the kind you always get in movies in these kind of scenes. The music kills the moment. It's entirely out of place.
The way they only used subspace in one or two scenes felt like they borrowed just enough of it to fit the image of the film, but dumped it as an actual plot point in order to do something a little more mundane.
I understand why they made the film focus more on the progress of the band - it's what helps them compress six books into a single volume - but the other way they stremlined the plot, by making Gideon more prominent and having him actually steal Ramona away, didn't work for me - seeing so much of Gideon in the way the film wrote him just lessened the threat posed by the character.
The biggest issue, however, is the compression of time in the film compared to the comic. The original, 6-volume story of Scott Pilgrim takes place over an entire year. Ramona, Knives, Scott, Kim - they all show real growth in the comic, and end more emotionally mature. In the film I got none of that feeling - Ramona didn't seem any different at the end than at the beginning. Knives ended the same, but the route she took to reach that was too easy and didn't ring true. By putting everything in such a short timescale, none of the characters had a chance to grow.
Overall, it's not a bad film. But I'd say the earlier parts of it are stronger than the ending, and while a couple of the ideas new to the movie version were good (I like the way they used the 1up, though not the writing in the second play) a lot of it just didn't work as well as the source material. I know, they needed to make the changes to fit it in a film's run time, but it could have been done better.
I actually went out of my way to read all the comics before seeing the film. (I'm more of a book person, and I'd rather have the comics influence my view of the film than vice versa.) I'm not sure what I'd have thought of the film if I hadn't read the books first, but comparing the two gives some interesting thorughts on the way they work.
First, I have to say, Michael Cera just doesn't pull it off that well. He only seems to be able to act in one way, and it didn't really do justice to Scott Pilgrim ("Rating: Awesome"). I'm not sure I would have really "got" the character from his performance.
The "Seinfeld" scene was terrible and didn't work.
That said, they captured the feel of the comic pretty well, and the parts that followed scenes from the comic closely were among the best moments in the film. It fell prey to some common missteps in places, though, where it deviated.
There were a lot of lines written for the film that seemed to try to ape Brian Lee O'Malley's style of writing in the comic, but came out like a poor imitation. Most of the bad puns in the later fight scenes were new.
There was a moment near the end, when Scott stops Knives and Ramona from fighting (the second time) and admits that he hurt both of them, when a slow, sappy kind of music comes up softly in the background - the kind you always get in movies in these kind of scenes. The music kills the moment. It's entirely out of place.
The way they only used subspace in one or two scenes felt like they borrowed just enough of it to fit the image of the film, but dumped it as an actual plot point in order to do something a little more mundane.
I understand why they made the film focus more on the progress of the band - it's what helps them compress six books into a single volume - but the other way they stremlined the plot, by making Gideon more prominent and having him actually steal Ramona away, didn't work for me - seeing so much of Gideon in the way the film wrote him just lessened the threat posed by the character.
The biggest issue, however, is the compression of time in the film compared to the comic. The original, 6-volume story of Scott Pilgrim takes place over an entire year. Ramona, Knives, Scott, Kim - they all show real growth in the comic, and end more emotionally mature. In the film I got none of that feeling - Ramona didn't seem any different at the end than at the beginning. Knives ended the same, but the route she took to reach that was too easy and didn't ring true. By putting everything in such a short timescale, none of the characters had a chance to grow.
Overall, it's not a bad film. But I'd say the earlier parts of it are stronger than the ending, and while a couple of the ideas new to the movie version were good (I like the way they used the 1up, though not the writing in the second play) a lot of it just didn't work as well as the source material. I know, they needed to make the changes to fit it in a film's run time, but it could have been done better.
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This is on cable now. I've tried watching it several times based on what you all have written but I just can't get into it. after 10 or 15 minutes I change the channel.
Maybe another shot.
Maybe another shot.
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[Defeated by a gizmo from Batman's utility belt]
Joker: I swear by all that's funny never to be taken in by that unconstitutional device again!




I wouldn't bother. While I loved it, there's no reason for you to watch a movie you don't enjoy.High Lord Tolkien wrote:This is on cable now. I've tried watching it several times based on what you all have written but I just can't get into it. after 10 or 15 minutes I change the channel.
Maybe another shot.
"You make me think Hell is run like a corporation."
"It's the other way around, but yes."
Obaki, Too Much Information
"It's the other way around, but yes."
Obaki, Too Much Information
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Yeah, good point. That's actually the reason I don't debate (much) with people who don't like SRD...or who have different politics than me...or different religious beliefs, or whatever.Rigel wrote:I wouldn't bother. While I loved it, there's no reason for you to watch a movie you don't enjoy.High Lord Tolkien wrote:This is on cable now. I've tried watching it several times based on what you all have written but I just can't get into it. after 10 or 15 minutes I change the channel.
Maybe another shot.
I'm interested in discussing these things with people who are at least "in the ballpark" of my own views, but I'm not interested at all in trying to change others' minds about things. What a Sisyphusian task....