Comic-Con 2010: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Out Epics Itself

I'm not much for hyperbole, but I'm going to completely go against the grain by announcing that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the best comic book movie ever made. Hands down. Sure, The Dark Knight was an experience, but this movie is the most faithful adaptation of a comic book that I've ever seen. It truly needs to be on your radar. Luckily, it isn't out until August 13, giving you plenty of time to get to the library or the comic book shop and read the entire series.

It's sort of ironic that this film is opening against The Expendables, because whereas that film is laden with testosterone and bulging muscles, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is full of angst and introspection. Surprisingly, Pilgrim is going to be the one that resonates with anyone who's ever touched a Game Boy or a thumbstick.

Back at the Scott Pilgrim panel, they passed out buttons before things got started, and as things came to an end, director Edgar Wright asked if everyone wanted to see a clip from the movie. Of course, people cheered. They he asked if people wanted to see the entire movie, and the place went nuts. But then he announced that everyone who had a pin with "1Up" on it would be taken to the theater to see the entire film. Ouch! If you didn't get one, it wasn't your lucky night. Although, they are showing the movie tonight and Saturday night, so if you're at Comic-Con, don't despair. You can still see it.

There are plenty of movie reviews all over the webs this morning from the screening last night, but I thought rather than wax poetic about angles and the maturity of the director (which is all the gibberings of the pretentious film critic world anyhow), that I would just tell you how much fun this is. Especially for video game geeks. Seriously, this is both a series of graphic novels and a movie made directly for you. It will set off alarm bells of joy in your DNA while you watch it.

There are video game references embedded in and integral to this movie from start to finish. According to Edgar Wright, they used sound effects from Zelda, Tekken, Sonic the Hedgehog, and many more. When Scott needs to pee, a yellow "Pee Bar" appears onscreen and then drains when he goes to the bathroom. Enemies vanish with a point value replacing their corpse, which turns into a heap of coins. There are on-screen stats, extra lives, and special weapons in this movie, and it's enough to make a geek explode with joy.

For those of you who haven't read the series, Scott is a young 20-something living in Toronto, and dating a high school student named Knives Chau. He plays bass in a band, Sex Bob-omb, and lives in the apartment of his gay friend, Wallace Wells. But, his life gets turned upside down when he meets and falls for Ramona Flowers, a delivery courier for Amazon.ca who changes her hair color more than some people change their underwear. Once they start going out, he discovers a League of Evil exes who thwart his plan to date her. Then, battles ensue. 

It's funny, touching, geektastic, and a rock and roll ride with amazing music. There is a bass battle in one scene that needs to be experienced at full volume, and when you think nothing can top that ... the movie surprises you. Plan on seeing this more than once, and be sure to check out the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World game when it comes out, which is August 10 on PSN, and August 14 on Xbox Live.