Photo: Universal
In spite of the hype surrounding it, most people haven’t seen Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It’s made a smidge over $20 million so far, substantially less than its $90 million budget, and has already sunk to number 10 on the box office totals.
People! It is important, nay, imperative that you go see this film! Why? Well, as John Lopez claims, Scott Pilgrim could be a lesson to movie studios and their financial backers that, deep down in our hearts, we want movies that try to tell stories in new and interesting ways:
Because studios, executives, actors, producers, writers, directors, agents, would love nothing more than to make the movies we actually want to see—that is, if we go see them. However, we have to demand better films with our wallets and our eyeballs. If we, as the audience, complain that studios don’t love us enough to give us something really worth our time, then we need to have the self-respect necessary to slay the sell-out stooges who tell us we can’t ask for anything better than Vampires Suck. (If you’d seen Scott Pilgrim, you’d get that reference.)
I’ve seen Scott Pilgrim twice, but then again, I’ve also read the books (several times) and at one time owned and wore a Billy Corgan-inspired ZERO shirt. So maybe I’m not the most objective person here. But I do know that what I saw on that screen (twice) was a perfect blend of comic book, video games and cinema. I do not honestly believe that it could have been done better.
The movie tackled an age-old subject (love) with a very new, very fresh approach. What gamer hasn’t wished that life was more like a video game and that we gained achievements or coins whenever we did something awesome? When you find about about your new boyfriend’s prior indiscretions, wouldn’t it be nice just to kick them into oblivion instead of just gnawing them over, day and night? How rad would it be to actually level up instead of just having a stupid birthday, year after year?
So, if you haven’t — or if you have, but you didn’t pay for it — go cast your vote at your local multiplex. Buy a ticket for Scott Pilgrim and bring a friend. Make the future of film a brighter place! With jetpacks.
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