In 2010, screen adaptations of comic books weren’t the franchise monoliths they are today. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was still in its nascent stages and superhero flicks were much more self-contained ventures. Against this backdrop came Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim Vs the World, a film that embraced its nerdy roots with zany and idiosyncratic flair. With an animated adaptation about to drop on Netflix, it’s worth revisiting what has made this tale of kick-ass Toronto slackers – which bombed at the box office – such a cultural mainstay.
Based on the comics by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the story follows 22-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), the bass player of an indie garage band, Sex Bob-Omb. Scott is the epitome of young and dumb, prone to poor choices and navel-gazing. He’s just been dumped by Envy Adams (Brie Larson), who has since become a vampy alt-rock star. His friends and family mock him for dating a teen, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), who he’s starting to tire of. His mopey existence is rocked when he falls in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), an Amazon delivery girl with constantly changing hair à la Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The catch to being with Ramona? Scott must fight each of Ramona’s seven evil exes, led by supervillain record executive Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman).
