Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Based on a series of graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World draws from the wellspring of popular culture, viewing youthful infatuation through a filter of indie rock, action comics, and classic Nintendo. It’s a series steeped in irony, bestowing magnificent powers on an ineffectual Canadian (Michael Cera) when he falls for the lovely, mysterious Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and must confront her seven evil exes in Mortal Kombat-like duels. There’s perhaps no better director to bring it to the screen than Edgar Wright, whose Shaun Of The Dead andHot Fuzz are similarly informed by a culture-addled mind, and he brings a great elasticity to Scott Pilgrim, which stretches the medium to accommodate O’Malley’s comic-book universe. 

Updated 12/22/2010