5 out of 5

Director: Edgar Wright

You read the comic, or you like Michael Cera, or you just like these kinds of movies. Any teen to thirtysomething should find something to dig in this movie, whether it’s the characters or the references or the source material or just the supreme craftsmanship. Overall, it proves Edgar Wright’s unbelievable mastery of oddball style. “Scott Pilgrim” is, in comic form, a 6 book video-game influenced delight of a Toronto sort-of-snotty twentyish kid who falls for an American sort-of-snotty twentyish hip chick with tons of baggage. Oh, and he has to defeat her 7 evil exes to date her. This is the plot of the movie, and the basic “boy meets girl” theme is true throughout.. the honeymoon, the fights, the growing up, the getting back together. But while the comic sometimes makes you wonder if you really like these characters, turning them into flesh and blood for the film really pieces it all together. Plus – Mr. Wright’s amazing imagination. Perplexed or amazed – as with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, two weirdo genre blends – you will be entertained. Comic purists might be mad at the plot switches, but it makes sense for time. This could’ve been teen tripe. But it turned into something truly, truly, out there original zowie. I’m sold.