Re-Reviewed: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World holds up 11 years later

This might be hard to believe, but Scott Pilgrim vs. the World been around for more than a decade.

While it wasn’t exactly a raging success at the box office, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has since become a cult classic, much like the graphic novels it was based on. But it was also a movie set in a very specific era in time, one that still holds up today.

Scott Pilgrim vs. comic book store shelves

The original graphic novel series called Scott Pilgrim was created by Bryan Lee O’Malley. They were released in six digest form books between August 2004 and July 2010. While the originals were black and white, full color editions were released between 2012 and 2014.

At the core of the plot is Scott Pilgrim, a slacker musician who lives in Toronto and is generally bad at life. He only starts putting any effort in when he meets Ramona Flowers, a delivery person who has recently moved to town from the US.

Unfortunately for Scott, dating her came with a lot of baggage. To be more specific, that meant facing Ramona’s several evil exes. Each one of them had their own unique history with Ramona, as well as their own fighting style and powers.

The Scott Pilgrim graphic novels received near universal acclaim from fans and critics alike. Additionally, O’Malley was nominated for and won numerous awards for the series. This all made it a likely candidate for a film adaptation.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

The movie version of Scott Pilgrim had a lot to live up to and even more material to work with. While the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels were nowhere near as long as The Lord of the Rings books, it was no less daunting a task to decide what to put into the movie and what to leave out.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was written and directed by Edgar Wright. The movie was almost perfectly cast with Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead respectively in the roles of Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers.

The rest of the main cast was rounded out by Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Allison Pill, Jason Schwartzman and Brandon Routh. Kieran Culkin stood out as Wallace Wells, Scott’s catty roommate and friend who had a witty bon mot for everyone.

While the film might not have been a word for word, scene for scene adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels, it did forge its own path. It became a great story for the big screen, creating something a lot of fans simply didn’t see coming.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the box office

The box office wasn’t exactly kind to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The graphic novels were popular among comic book fans but the character wasn’t exactly a household name and Michael Cera wasn’t a box office draw. History, on the other hand, has been a lot more kind.

Over the past decade, the movie has become a cult classic. Its absurd story combined with its preoccupation with video games and music made it unforgettable. Word of mouth certainly played a huge role with this movie too, increasing its popularity over the years.

There are certainly elements of the movie that feel like they aged a bit, but they’ve aged incredibly well. Pretty much everything in this film has held up. If anything, some of the jokes have become more relevant since 2010.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a movie with heart, humor, action and depth, and one worth revisiting from time to time. This was a different kind of graphic novel that made a different kind of movie. It just took audiences a bit of time to catch up.

Did you enjoy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World? Have you seen it? Let us know in the comments below!