Scott Pilgrim Vs The Marketing Department

History is littered with great movies that failed to make a major impact at the box office. There are personal favorites for me like Serenity (2005), Innerspace (1987) and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1998)...well made, written movies that have broad commercial appeal, that failed to find an audience. Even established classics bombed on their theatrical release like Blade Runner and The Thing (both 1982) and The Shawshank Redemption (1995) which seems to make many people top ten of all-time lists, including me.* Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, the latest film from Shaun Of The Dead director Edgar Wright, has flopped at the box office. On a production budget of $60 million, it's only recouped around $45 million worldwide. And it's a stone cold classic, right off the starting blocks.

Edgar Wright was shot to fame, alongside Simon Pegg, with their geek sitcom Spaced. If you're familiar with Spaced, then Scott Pilgrim is a feature-length, North American version of that show done with 300 times the budget. Wright himself is clearly now at the peak of his creative abilities (so far) with every cinematic technique at his disposal and working in perfect harmony. The cutting edge photography from Bill (The Matrix) Pope, the retro electo-synth score, the insane editing using every cutting trick in the book (and a few new ones), a raw, exciting soundtrack, dazzlingly choreographed fight sequences, that are both exciting AND funny, that would impress Tarantino's The Bride and a first rate cast.

It's a simple tale of the ups and downs of teens/early twenty-something music and romance...but filtered through an off-kilter, parallel world where the characters see life as though it was lived through a computer game. It's a rom-com for the 'gamer' generation. This perspective alone would be something worth watching, but Wright adds his Landis/Coen Bros inspired comic timing to each scene, each dialogue exchange and each edit to give the film a unique auteur stamp. It's like a live-action Loony Tunes cartoon with sex, fighting and rock & roll.

None of the characters are particularly likable on paper (apart from Young Neil perhaps) as they're all struggling to find their way in life. They're selfish, they cheat, they lie, deceive, betray, manipulate and cheat each other..whether it's the two timing Scott himself or the self confessed 'bitch' Ramona Flowers, the object of Scott's affections. But the excellent cast convey these tortured souls with such depth and sincerity, it's easy to understand and sympathise with them. Cera is perfect as Pilgrim, a geek with confidence, charm and ninja skills to spare. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is beguiling as Ramona, communicating much through her large, expressive eyes in perfectly timed looks and glances. Chris Evans nearly steals the show (again) as a dumb movie-star hunk that Scott must defeat if he is to continue dating Ramona. But my favorite character is Knives Chau, played by the energetic Ellen Wong, whose adoration of Scott takes her from doe eyed Schoolgirl to crazed ninja avenger. Sweet, adorable...and utterly, utterly insane.

The set-pieces grow ever more imaginative and larger in scale as the film progresses, yet despite the surreal craziness of the situations, Wright and his team always keep the characters grounded and 'real'. We understand their hurt and pain, even if we don't agree with the way they deal with it. For all of the silliness in play, Pilgrim plays it straight making many of the gags quite subtle, despite the in-your-face visual style. There's a bucket load of memorable moments...including a Tom Jane cameo as a member of the Vegan Police, an OTT bass guitar showdown and some cool Flash Gordon references. It's cool, ground-breaking, breath-taking and fun.

One of the best films of the year, I hope that Scott Pilgrim will be recognised as a great piece of film making, by mainstream audiences, in the years to come. When it comes out on DVD this Christmas, every kid should have it.

* I saw Shawshank twice at the cinema, so it's demise wasn't nuthin' to do with me!