Scott Pilgrim Vs The World was quite possibly the best indie-comic-based movie I’ve ever seen. Sadly it didn’t rock the world in the box office which is not a precise measurement of the quality of any given film to begin with. I suppose no one expected older crowds to get it, and perhaps there aren’t as many hip 20-30 somethings out there to broaden the appeal. It was a face-meltingly good movie and a very faithful adaptation of the books.
I was rooting for Scott Pilgrim to do well since I’m a fan of the source material and it looked really damn good before I finally saw it. Here at the shop, we’ve had trailers for the film playing on a loop on a computer on a very visible display which we’ve done for both Watchmen and Kick-Ass before they came out in the theaters. I got tired of seeing/ hearing those trailers despite being excited about each film but the Scott Pilgrim trailer still has me stopping to take in all that eye candy.
I also have a bit of a gripe about 2 of the movies that were far ahead of SP in the box office, both of which prove that box office numbers are NOT a good indication of quality of film. At #1 was the Expendables, which I know has a cross-appeal, but I don’t care. It’s a big, dumb, predictable action movie with lots of explodey stuff and bad one liners. We saw everything this had to offer in the 1980’s. Next gripe: Eat Pray Love which is based on a novel I became all too familiar with during my Barnes & Noble days. This one’s a penultimate chick-flick which follows a spoiled suburban lady who travels to Italy and India to “find herself.” Barf.
A film that is as high quality as Scott Pilgrim deserves better treatment than it’s received in the box-office and by critics. Well, whatever, screw them. Like so many of my favorite movies, I have a feeling that Scott Pilgrim will go on to the “Cult classic” status which usually equals staying power. As for the Expendables and Eat Pray Love, well, I have a feeling you’ll see them both in the bargain bin in a few years.
-Jim
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
One of my favorite bookstores in St. Louis. Star Clipper offers not only the best selection of comic books and graphic novels in the city, but also a cornucopia of art, design and pop-culture related books and magazines. 
