Or rather, a movie possibly inspired by that game, view the trailer here.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World ooks like your typical cheesy popcorn summer flick, but I guess we'll find out when it hits. This is about as close to a No More Heroes movie that I think we'll ever see, to be honest.

EDIT: I rescind that. It looks like the franchise has been around since 2004. Maybe NMH drew inspiration from it? It has a similar theme, at the very least.

AGGHHH. Deceptive title. Anyhow, I hope the constant video game/comic book special effects doesn't grow old because it looked cool for the brevity of a trailer. Certain parts of the movie look cool, but unfortunately I have not liked any movie after SuperBad starring Micheal Cera (I still don't understand how I continue to see them all).

No More Heroes has my favorite intro cutscene to the first level of a video game (start at 2:33):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsKPKvNf_Y8

The movie would get major cool if it had the balls to go M--fatalities et all.

edit: Defeating 7 people to win something isn't new.

Title edited.  Being vague is one thing, misleading another.

Too bad that this film has Cera in it, for some odd reason I just can't stand seeing him on films, so probably won't be seeing this, unless there will be Ceraless Edition made just for me.

I hear a lot of hate for Cera. Why is that?

Same role over and over (typecast): the awkward guy who somehow gets some hot chick to fall for him and have sex with him. There's also an annoying "indie" vibe in his movies.

I think the main problem with Michael Cera (a theory of mine--I would call it the "SuperBad Curse") is that he cannot be the sole main character of a movie; he needs to be apart of a group. So he can't carry a film by himself, he needs some other characters to counteract his awkwardness--too much of his awkwardness and it becomes banal. The whole winning over the girl's heart high school plot is too played out now and Cera tends to star in movies that don't delineate or find a way to charm the audience because of the ever looming predictable "She's Out Of Your League" grown-out-loud happy ending.

I just can't stand his face or acting, both make me want to punch someone or something. Some shrink can tell me why's that.

That trailer was awesome. Count me IN!

I loved Arrested Development and thought he was great in it, but for some reason I just don't find him terribly appealing in movies.  Not sure why (probably the rest of the AD ensemble not being with him?).

You can toss swords and bounty hunters into ANY film, and suddenly make it instantly cool.

Even if it has Cera in it.

My thoughts on Cera have already been stated above and previously.

Seth Rogan and Shia LeBeouf are also obnoxious; so is Robert Pattinson.

Well, come to think of it, there really AREN'T a whole lot of Hollywood actors these days who don't make me feel completely ill; ESPECIALLY the teen actors.

And it's rare that I actually complain about these kinds of things; should tell you exactly how much these wankers annoy me.

Stepmom.

AICN's Quint has his review of the movie up from Comic-Con.  Sounds like it's going to be a blast:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/45874

Just got back from the screening we had in Edmonton, and while it's a hilarious adaptation and faithful to the spirit of the comics, as with most comic book to movie adaptations, something gets lost in the shuffle. 

Love all the VGM bits and gaming references, and I'd say Kieran Culkin and Ellen Wong get all the great bits as Wallace Wells and Knives Chau.

The ending of the movie is a bit of a mess, and it IS different than the book ending (which I preferred, but only because it fleshes out the characters more).  This could probably be a three or four hour movie if it wanted to be, but the quick pace keeps it snappy.

All in all I enjoyed it.

If they direct all their violence toward Julia Roberts, I approve.

As for the movie, I dunno. On paper, it sounds fun, but what they've shown in TV ads seems pretty bad. Is it better than that, those who've seen it?

The TV ads are just teases, and I will admit I was a bit wary at first as well, but if you like the Scott Pilgrim world, you'll enjoy the movie.  (at least I think so anyways)

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact while he may play different characters in his movies, they aren't really that different - Cera still acts like the Cera from Arrested Development where I was introduced to him.

However, in my case it's simply a case of over exposure. Cera is freakin' everywhere - like Rogan, Ferrell, the list goes on... but then this is from a Mega Man fan, so...

Personally, I've never heard of the guy, but after reading the comics and seeing the trailers, he just doesn't feel right as Scott Pilgrim somehow.

And what of those who aren't familiar with the comic?  Is it enjoyable enough to stand on its own?

I'm on target for a weekend viewing, along with The Other Guys and The Expendables.  Should be quite the battle royale.

As long as you can enjoy a silly comic book to movie type of flick, and you can get the theme, you'll laugh.

Has anyone been playing the *game* of Scott Pilgrim on PSN?

It's awesome.

It's all Anamanaguchi music. Chiptunes action.

And the game itself is like the Simpsons arcade beat'em up. But with Castle Crashers-esque leveling.

You must play. And listen.

Checked out the movie today.  To be honest, it took a while for it to hook me in; it suffers from a slow start that's kept only moderately amusing by the offbeat jokes and slick but not necessarily revelatory use of graphical and textual overlays.  I've never read the comic, but I suspect fans will get more joy out of these beginning sequences as they get to experience the introduction of these characters made flesh.

But then The League of Evil Exes make their debut (something like a good twenty to thirty minutes in), and the movie suddenly kicks into high gear.  The juxtaposition between these manic, kinetically-charged battles, and the story's strangely potent theme of love that ultimately propels said battles, really elevate the film.  All seven exes get their chance to shine, and each chew up the scenery in grand fashion.  Well, most of them, anyway; I'd argue that..... the Katayanagi twins didn't get as much in the way of backstory as the others did.  It's not just about the slick graphical effects during these confrontations - the actual fight choreography is well shot and inventive.  My favorites?  Definitely the battle with..... Brandon Routh's Todd Ingram (Superman turned vegan?  Wild.), and Mae Whitman's Roxy Ritcher.  (Dude!  They're fighting Katara!!)  Cast-wise, the power trio of Culkin, Ellen Wong, and Jason Schwartzman can't be beat.  Awesome performances, these.

And of course, spotting all the specific video game references is a big part of the fun.  I'm probably missing a shit-ton, but here are the ones that come to mind:

---

-Enemies exploding into high-scoring gold coins.
-The use of A Link to the Past's "Title" theme in a number of places, as well the arranged version of series staple "The Goddess Appears".
-Ha, the Final Fantasy battle theme bass line.  He said "Final Fantasy II", didn't he?  Does that mean Final Fantasy IV, then?  A moot point anyway, since the original battle theme bass line was established in FFI.
-Puck-Man.  I mean Pac-Man.
-Besides the obvious Street Fighter vibe, they went out of their way to showcase a 'Reversal'.
-The Soul Calibur-esque duel between Ramona and Roxy was my favorite throwback.  Ivy's snake sword was an obvious call, though the oversized hammer looked like something Astaroth or Rock could've wielded.
-Sex "Bob-omb".  Super Mario Bros. 2, obviously.
-I head Ramona mention Subspace.  Another SMB2 reference?
-Envy's band name based on the old NES title Clash at Demonhead.
-The Katayanagi twins.  Double Dragon?
-Chaos Theater.  Earthbound!

---

Of the comic book movies I've seen this year, Kick-Ass still takes the top spot, but Scott takes down Stark with a 64-hit combo.  It's an enjoyable movie once you manage to get into its groove..... and when it eventually hits its stride.  I wouldn't say no to a repeat viewing, if just to capture more references, and I'm genuinely interested in checking out the comic now.

I just picked up the first two volumes of the comic book series; figured it'd be best to get acquainted before checking out the game.  I have, however, been listening to Anamanaguchi's score, and it's definitely a LOT of fun.  Certainly more enjoyable than Nigel Godrich's soundtrack for the film.

All rise for the Scott Pilgrim Anthem!

Haven't read anybody else's thoughts on this yet - want to get my own down while it's still fresh in my mind.

This movie pretty much encapsulates everything that's about being in our age group...video-games, music, being 20-something, and in love...for all your older types out there, I'm sure it offers nostalgic value of what being young used to be to you...

What they dress up with humor, swords, and martial arts, really is at its core, a morality tale - put simply, don't treat women like dirt. That's what I got out of it, anyway. They just didn't use Katherine Heigl to deliver it. Or Julia Roberts. Or...you get the picture.

Honestly, I think the film appeals to both sexes, although, if you're gamer chick, or you like indie or punk music, you're probably more to get the deal than if you're friggin' Barbie.

The screening I attended was a pretty well-balanced audience, between guys and girls, but mostly younger people, from high school, to post-college.

...

As for the movie itself,

-Words appearing, spelling out sound effects, never gets old.

-Words appearing, and labeling things when you already know what they are, or what's going on; example, though not from the movie, a close-up of a kitty cat in a scene, and the word "Cat" being off to the side, and pointing to the cat.

-Words appearing, and pointing to something that WASN'T obvious. Example from the movie The word "Pee" pointing to a guy's crotch, when you otherwise wouldn't have been able to tell he'd wet himself; although, the guy DOES look at his crotch after the message appears!

-Pee jokes. Always funny. There were at least four of them.

-Knives Chau. Every expression and response this girl made, was just priceless. Between her being excited about Sex Bob-omb's performance (jump, squeal like a schoolgirl, and SPEED LINES!) and her face turning into an emoticon were highlights.

-Julie Powers being pissed off, and being bleeped once between each comma in a sentence, and her being called on it by Scott, that was priceless. "If it helps at all, I'm pissed off for you."

-Broken Social Scene "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl." (Find sample here: http://www.amazon.com/Forgot-People-Bro … 50&sr=1-4)

The scene in which it plays, After Scott defeats The Katayanagi Twins, and he's approached by Knives (she's a seventeen year-old girl!) VERY appropriate use of the song. That's all I can say 'bout that. The fact they even used it, hits close to home for me. When a movie uses some of your favorite artists or songs, when they're not even particularly well-known, it lets you know you're on the same wavelength! Broken Social Scene for the win!

-I can't help thinking that this movie really WAS inspired specifically by No More Heroes. I want to watch interviews and behind-the-scenes for this movie. I want to hear what they all have to say!

-I think the same guy who played Second Evil Ex #2 played the jock guy in some American Pie or Teen Movie sequel; I forget which one, but they play it on either MTV or Comedy Central practically every weekend...forgot to look up the guy's name...

-Kieran Culkin who played Scott's gay roommate; are we talkin' the same Culkin as McCauley Culkin? I can see a resemblance. His character's jaded, disaffected position on life in general, priceless.

-In general, the comedic timing on part of all the actors was just spot-on, and love how they keep the frequency up on it, too; some characters (Scott's older sister!) had me laughing at least once every line they made!

-Movies are a visual medium. The more visual gags you can slip in, the more you take advantage of that; some many movies these days, they could just as easily be radio dramas, because they only really make use of speech (practically every other "Romantic" "Comedy" ever). This movie was very successful with visual gags. Yes.

-I think they expected you to have seen the trailers a bit much, before seeing the movie; I think they were pretty quick about laying it on about having to defeat 7 evil exes. "Oh, yeah, I have 7 evil exes, and you need to defeat all of them." "Hey, wait, what?" (Gets hit in the face by one of them appearing on the scene). I guess the brevity and casualness of delivering that bit of info is a part of the comedy and humor; if not, it's sloppily executed.

-Seeing a movie, set in Winter, during the Summer. That kind of scenario always messes with my perception of time and season. I should think this movie would be doing better at the box office if it had been released during a better time of the year, like, I don't know, around Thanksgiving or Christmas? Y'know, so we have other movies to see around that time of year, as opposed to the usual trash about dysfunctional families that're actually supposed to be comedies?

-Other than that, EXPLODING INTO COINS!!

-"We are Sex Bob-Omb...we're here to think about death, and be sad, and stuff..."

I think they expected you to be familiar with the comics.
After all, they're squeezing 6 almost-200-page comics into 1 movie.
Pacing IS going to suffer.

Finally got a chance to see this movie and I loved it! Definitely a worthwhile outing and I suspect I'll be going back to see it again shortly. It's a real shame that it hasn't done better at the box office. I especially loved the film's style and all the references. I wonder how many I missed. XD

I fully expected to really like this movie, and honestly didn't care for it too much.  I appreciate what they were trying to do with the visuals, jokes, and references but it honestly didn't take me long to get used to the style and crave something more.  It lacked any sense of substance beyond its visuals and one-liners.  That would be ok if I didn't feel that it got old and repetitive by or before the halfway point.  But since it did, I wanted to fall back on some sort of character development or plot.  This movie really had neither.  The plot itself and the characters were nothing more than just premises.  I also found the two leads to bounce between dull and annoying.
I ended up leaving the movie feeling like I watched a 2 hour anime convention skit or youtube fan video.
I guess it's good that my friends and a lot of people around here really got enjoyment out of this movie, but it just did not do it for me.

The very same.  A fellow NYC'er, I'd actually met Kieran a few weeks ago.  Cool guy, very down to earth.  I still find it funny how he played Fuller from the first two Home Alone movies.  That insidious smirk of his after he chugs the Pepsi..... priceless.

Quick correction: younger sister, not older.  They emphasize that point both in the film and in the comic.

Tee-hee.

Ahh. When a person has greater sense than you do, you often equate them as being older than you...also, she's taller than Cera. Well, she looks like she is. Both taller AND older. Oh yeah, and there's the fact that her character could hold a job...

...

What I REALLY liked about the film, is how the main character and his friends are relatively down-to-earth...they were all quirky, but only about as quirky as your own friends, while the evil exes are designed to be VERY quirky, along the lines of character archetype parodies.

So, when the characters break out with over-the-top superhuman acrobatics, and swords formed out of spiritual energy, it's just all that much more surreal! Kind of like the fantasies that one might have, about beating up on their life's arch-nemesis!

Re: Roxy Richter. Richter Belmont, maybe? I mean, she had a razor belt...not too far from a chain whip, don't you think? You know, I don't remember her actually being defeated, I remember her smoke-bombing out of the club near the end of her fight...anybody else remember?

Also: Lucas Lee's and Todd Ingram's defeats: I liked how they actually ended up getting destroyed by their own vices. Especially Lucas, with wanting to show off... END SPOILER.

So is there any way to get the fantastic chiptune music of the movie? The soundtrack doesn't do a very good job of representing the quality or content of the movie's music...

Unfortunately, this is the only release I know of:
http://www.amazon.com/Pilgrim-Original- … B003XKCW46

I haven't purchased it yet as I detest digital releases in general and exclusive ones in particular. Overpriced, low quality, and worthless to a collector... man do digital releases irk me. >_<

Really liked this movie, mostly because it speaks to our culture in a way no other mainstream movie has.  I'd say this movie is to Gen Y what Clerks was to Gen X (and yes, I realize that I technically straddle those generations, but I'm claiming Y for the purpose of this thread).

Just saw the movie for the first time (I downloaded it because the chances of this ever coming to Japan are 0 unfortunately, even though it speaks to gaming culture so much).

I laughed.
It was good.

Liked the many game references, obviously.

I immediately paused the movie to verify this, because I'm anal about that kind of stuff.
Many FF battle themes start with the same riff, but then move into a different melody/rhythm, and the one used in the movie was unmistakably the one for the REAL FFII, i.e. the JP version.
Major bonus points for that.

I finally saw this tonight. It's an interesting movie that eventually won me over but, by the time it did, there was barely any film left. It had a load of cool stuff in it but I really wished I had enjoyed it more than I did.

Early on in the film, I thought it had a very hard time settling on the tone, what was real and what was not real. It was only when I was well into the evil exes that I felt the film knew what it was trying to be and it was those evil exes that stood out as really working. Once I settled into them. Routh and Evans were both fantastic. But the real stuff just didn't seem to work with it, especially the character stuff at the start - leading to a very jarring first evil ex encounter. Maybe the world was too real? I found myself staring at the snow, being a little annoyed that it was just overlaid on top and it didn't really look cold. If the film had really got across the unreal world, I shouldn't be concerned with things like that.

To be honest, I think the film should have been animated. I just don't think they quite got the mix between real and unreal and being animated would have totally removed that issue.

But the biggest problem for me was the casting of the main characters. The entire movie hinged on everyone wanting and loving Ramona and I found her absolutely unlikeable. She was grumpy, miserable and looked filthy (not the good sort of filthy). For me to get behind Scott, I should have been in love with her. The movie really fell apart because I wasn't.

And I felt Cera was all wrong for Scott. Again, I felt I should have been on his side. Okay, he's cheating on two girls but if I really liked the guy and felt for him, I'd have been on his side. And I'm supposed to believe every girl has either dated him or wants to date him. He should have been at least in some way cool. But his light high whine just didn't do it for me. So that's the two main characters that didn't work for me.

And Kim? What were they thinking?

The two characters who really were endearing were Knives and Young Neil. Knives was fantastic and stole just about every scene she was in. She was part of how the film won me over at the end too, where she got to shine. And Young Neil was just cute and innocent.

The game references were great though, especially the musical references. On FF2, Edgar Wright is British so we didn't get the renamed (or indeed almost any) FFs over this end of the world so anyone familiar with FF2 would either know it from the later (correctly numbered) releases or been import savvy, in which case we'd know about the renaming. The Zelda sounds were great to hear. And turning into coins? Genius. And the later fights that really played on those gaming conventions worked really well - it was there the film began to shine. And then it finished.

I enjoyed it and, yes, it won me over at the end. But I really wish I had enjoyed it more. Would make a great animated film if what I've seen of the comic is anything to go by.

This FINALLY made it to video in Japan so I watched it tonight.  Loved it - one of the better films I've seen recently and by far the most fun.  Obviously people like us who grew up with video games will get the most out of the tricked-out effects but as Angela mentioned there's also just some really good action cinematography in there.

Pacing-wise I agree that it starts a little slow but it's not long before the first evil ex enters the scene and from that point on there's hardly a lull to be felt.  Even after REALLY enjoying the second and third encounters I expected the film would drag but they did some clever things with the story to keep it moving briskly.  A couple of the cameos were brilliant so I'm glad I went into the movie without knowing anything about the cast.

I do wonder how well it'll hold up on repeat viewings but still I'm pretty primed to own this on Blu-ray once the price drops a bit.  A shame I missed the theatrical run as it would have been spectacular to see on the big screen.

I need to get this on DVD. strangely, haven't seen it in store

it'd be one helluva novelty if they took all those "chick flick" movie stars, and tossed them into a gratuitously violent film with weapons. imagine them going at each other with battle axes, instead of catty insults

think of it as the complete opposite as tossing tough guys into babysitter flicks (Schwarzenegger, Vin Diesel, etc.)

I'd hit it.