As we are all aware, the current trend in Hollywood is to scoop up and option nearly every comic book property or graphic novel possible and turn it into a movie or television show. Of course, this has been met with varying amounts of success. For every The Dark Knight and American Splendor, we get five Constantine's and Fantastic Four's. This new feature has a lofty goal; we hope to educate those without previous knowledge of a comic property to become familiar with franchises that have recently been picked up for a film or television series. In doing so, hopefully we can train the untrained eyes to spot weaknesses in a film's development so that some day, Hollywood bigwigs will have no choice but to produce faithful and quality works based on our favorite sequential art.
Our usual approach to Source Material is to garner the unfamiliar prepared enough to see a film without actually ever reading the original book. While I rather inspire you to read the original material on your own, rather than taking what I say word for word, times are tough and moolah is scarce. I can personally guarantee there will be no spoilers. If you find a spoiler, I give you permission to keep my first born.
Only a couple of weeks ago, we were finally treated to the long awaited trailer for the upcoming film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a film starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, and Brandon Routh, releasing August 13, 2010. Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's hit Oni Press series, the film follows 23 year old Scott Pilgrim as he learns he must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to earn the right to her heart.
It sounds silly, but the source material for the movie is so rich and full of spunky character, that if done right, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World could prove to be the surprise hit of the summer.
The Origin: Scott Pilgrim is, for all intents and purposes, kind of a loser. He lives in a crappy one room apartment in Toronto with his gay roommate Wallace, has no real job to speak of and plays in a band called Sex Bob-omb. His parents sold his childhood home and left to travel the world, leaving Scott to his own devices.
The series itself is a collection of paperback volumes, of which five have been released, with the sixth and presumably final one releasing this summer to coincide with the movie. The film looks as though it essentially combines the first two volumes of O'Malley's series, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The first of these volumes is basically an introduction to Scott's weird little world in which he begins dating a 17 year old high school student named Knives Chau, only to fall gaga in love with another girl named Ramona Flowers.
At the end of Precious Little Life is where we discover that Scott must fight - nay, defeat - Ramona's league of evil ex-boyfriends in order to win her heart. In the second volume, O'Malley explores their relationship and histories a bit further, which judging from the trailer will be a bulk of the film.
The charming thing about Scott Pilgrim is in the way it breaks the fourth wall, as though O'Malley wants his characters to acknowledge that they are characters in a comic book. He even presents Scott's life as a video game, where he levels up every so often, gaining new items like a Mithril Skateboard that grants him +4 Speed, +3 Kick, and +1 Will. The defeated bad guys also leave behind coins for Scott to pick up. Pilgrim is laced with the utmost charm, so hopefully that transfers well to the film. With Edgar Wright helming, I'm optimistic.
The Cast:
Firstly, and most importantly, is the titular Scott Pilgrim. Played by the borderline over saturated Michael Cera in the film, Scott's a 21st century version of Clerks' Dante Hicks. No real motivation, wallowing over ex-girlfriends, and really, kind of a dick. Yet somehow, we root for him to succeed and want to see him overcome all of his trials and tribulations which, of course, are extremely trivial. Hopefully Cera will be able to expand the typical character he's been shoehorned into playing ever since Arrested Development.
Ramona Flowers is the series' main love interest, played by the gorgeous Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Go to Brooklyn sometime and you'll see fifty girls just like Ramona: a stereotypical hipster chick with skinny jeans and "original" taste in music. And yet, despite her cliches, her genuine punk rock attitude and utter mystery intrigues you somehow. Combined with the whole, you know, "defeat my evil ex-boyfriends" thing, there's a whole dimension to Ramona that does nothing but make you want to know her.
Knives Chau is the unfortunate third party of the Scott and Ramona relationship, as a lovestruck 17 year old girl that is confused in her own identity and will stop at nothing to make Scott hers. Played by newcomer Ellen Wong in the movie, Knives is a great character that provides plenty of comedic relief throughout the story, though most of the time at her own expense.
Kieran Culkin plays Scott's witty and uber-gay roommate Wallace Wells, who is often the voice of reason in Scott's messed up little world, urging him to do the right thing (like breaking up with Knives when he's in love with Ramona). Of course, that doesn't mean he won't be a sarcastic jerk about it.
Newly anointed Captain America (gag) Chris Evans plays Lucas Lee, Ramona's ex-boyfriend turned action star and a primary member of The League of Ramona's Evil Ex-Boyfriends. Despite my contempt for him as Cap, Evans is actually a good choice for the role of Lucas, who is a full of himself non-thespian clearly in the acting game for all the wrong reasons.
And finally, we have Gideon Gordon Graves, played by Brandon Routh, who serves as the leader of The League of Ramona's Evil Ex-Boyfriends. Out of all of the aforementioned characters, he is the most mysterious. We know that Gideon was Ramona's previous boyfriend before Scott, but his overall role in the film remains to be seen.
Of course, there are plenty of other cast members including Scott's sister, his band mates and Ramona's other ex-boyfriends, but these are the primary players you should know about going in.
The Major Plotlines: Well, the great thing about Scott Pilgrim is it's not really too complicated. Scott has to defeat the ex-boyfriends. That's it.
Recommended Reading:
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
