Dean Winkelspecht reviews SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD Blu-ray Combo Pack

—> See Link to our Blu-ray Review (below)

Prepare to feel the wrath
of the League of Evil Exes...

From the director of Hot Fuzz and
Shawn of the Dead

Love is a battle. So fight for it!

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a film directed by Edgar Wright based on the comic book series "Scott Pilgrim" by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to win Ramona over, Scott learns that he must battle Ramona's seven evil exes, who are coming to kill him.

"SCOTT PILGRIM is a blast! ...A wildly comic journey into the head of a true original."
—Pete Hammond (Box Office)

"The film fuses an indie/punk rock sensibility with comic-book violence and video game energy, mixed with quirky humor and sassy pop culture references."
—Claudia Puig (USA Today)

"Ramona is an intriguing character, handled in intriguing ways by the very promising Winstead... There are pop culture references galore thrown into the mix."
—Betsy Sharkey (Los Angeles Times)

"The movie, with its charming visual tropes, is a romantic comedy that moves at the speed of texting... It's a true original."
—Owen Gleiberman (Entertainment Weekly)

"It works because it's a simple 'boy meets girl' story full of sincere emotional pangs."
—(Premiere)

"Edgar Wright has successfully reproduced the imagery and worldview of Byran Lee O'Malley's graphic novel, itself a mash-up of ordinary characters lost in a world of manga, video games, music videos and comic book iconography."
—Kirk Honeycutt (Hollywood Reporter)

Universal Studios present...
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD — Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and Digtial Download »
(Now available - released Nov 9)

Includes bonus movie for a limited time only!
Blu-ray Combo Pack consumers will have instant access to stream action hits "TREMORS" or "PITCH BLACK" via BD-Live, Computer, or Smartphone (via the free Pocket BLU App - now newly enhanced for iPad) or computer.

(Full List of Bonus Features further below)

Get ready for the game-changing, action-comedy featuring eye-popping visuals and gravity-defying action unlike anything you've ever seen before!

Universal City CA — Inventive visuals, endearing performances and a genre-smashing style define Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the critically acclaimed, action-comedy now available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

In the movie, cutting-edge filmmaker Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) directs Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) and an incredible ensemble cast in the story of a charming, unemployed bass player who discovers that in order to date the girl of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Death Proof, Live Free or Die Hard), he must first battle her seven super-powered, evil exes.

Both the Blu-ray and DVD come loaded with deleted scenes, laugh-out-loud bloopers and cast commentaries assembled by director, producer and co-writer Edgar Wright. The 2-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack is packed with hours of additional in-depth bonus features; a Blu-ray and DVD copy of film; and for a limited time only, a digital copy of the movie that can be viewed on an array of electronic and portable devices anytime, anywhere.

Blu-ray consumers are also able to stream a free bonus movie instantly to any internet-connected player, Smartphone or iPad using the free pocket BLU app. Starting with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, iPad owners can also enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU made especially to take advantage of the tablet's larger screen and high resolution display. With this app, Blu-ray consumers will be able to stream their full-length bonus movie in a way that's bigger and better than ever before.

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Edgar Wright brings Bryan Lee O'Malley's hugely popular graphic novel series to life with gravity-defying action and videogame-inspired graphics. Joining lead actor Michael Cera and actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead is one of the coolest ensemble casts ever to share the big screen including Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down), Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger), Academy Award® nominee Anna Kendrick (Twilight series, Up in the Air), Alison Pill (Dan in Real Life), Aubrey Plaza (TV's "Parks and Recreation"), Brandon Routh (Superman), Jason Schwartzman (Funny People), Johnny Simmons (Jennifer's Body), Mark Webber (Broken Flowers), Mae Whitman ("Parenthood") and Ellen Wong ("Runaway").

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World also boasts an awesome soundtrack featuring original music by Beck and performances by Broken Social Scene, Metric and more.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE CRITICS
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World slayed critics of every generation with its highly stylized visuals. The New York Times' A.O. Scott raves "You may want to see it again as soon as it's over." Jeremy Smith of "AintItCoolNews.com" calls the film "Wholly original. There's never been a movie like it," and Rossiter Drake of the San Francisco Examiner pronounces it a "bold, brilliant spectacle."

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is "far and away the funniest movie of the summer," according to the Orlando Sentinel's Roger Moore, and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone calls the film "a breathless rush of a movie that jumps off the screen, spins your head around and then stealthily works its way into your heart. It's a game changer."

At a test screening, director Kevin Smith was impressed by the film (and director Edgar Wright) saying "That movie is great. It's spellbinding and nobody is going to understand what the fuck just hit them. I would be hard pressed to say, 'he's bringing a comic book to life!' but he is bringing a comic book to life." Smith also said that fellow directors Quentin Tarantino and Jason Reitman were "really into it".

A video game based upon the film and series, was set for release on August 10, 2010 on PlayStation Network, with a release on Xbox Live Arcade at on August 25. The game will be developed by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Chengdu, with music by chiptune band Anamanaguchi and 2D art by Paul Robertson.

In Toronto, 23-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is the bass guitarist for the band Sex Bob-omb and has just met the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Scott learns that he must battle Ramona's seven evil exes, who are coming to kill him, to finally win Ramona's heart. As Scott gets closer to Ramona, his encounters include skateboarders, vegan rock stars, and identical twins. To stay with Ramona, Scott must vanquish all of the seven evil exes before they defeat him.

(HD Trailer - 2:29)


Meet charming and jobless Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera). A bass guitarist for totally average garage band Sex Bob-Omb, the 22-year-old has just met the girl of his dreams... literally. The only catch to winning Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)? Her seven evil exes are coming to kill him. Genre-smashing filmmaker Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) tells the amazing story of one romantic slacker's quest to power up with love in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Scott Pilgrim has never had a problem getting a girlfriend. It's getting rid of them that proves difficult. From the girl who kicked his heart's ass—and now is back in town—to the teenage distraction he's trying to shake when Ramona rollerblades into his world, love hasn't been easy. He soon discovers, however, his new crush has the most unusual baggage of all: a nefarious league of exes controls her love life and will do whatever it takes to eliminate him as a suitor. As Scott gets closer to Ramona, he must face an increasingly vicious rogues' gallery from her past—from infamous skateboarders to vegan rock stars and fearsomely identical twins. And if he hopes to win his true love, he must vanquish them all before it really is game over.

BONUS FEATURES include: (both Blu-ray & DVD)
• DELETED AND ALTERNATE SCENES with commentary from director/producer/ co-writer Edgar Wright
• SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE BLOOPERS
• FEATURE COMMENTARIES:
-- Feature Commentary with director/producer/co-writer Edgar Wright, co-writer Michael Bacall and Author Bryan Lee O'Malley
-- Technical Commentary with director/producer/co-writer Edgar Wright and director of photography Bill Pope
-- Cast commentary with Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong and Brandon Routh
-- Cast commentary with Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Kieran Culkin and Mark Webber
• BEHIND-THE-SCENES PHOTO GALLERIES including Edgar Wright's photo blog
• GALLERIES: Production photos, art galleries and marketing concepts
• TRIVIA TRACK

Blu-ray Combo Pack EXCLUSIVE FEATURES:
• INSIDER DOCUMENTARIES:
-- Making of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
-- Music Featurette
-- You Too Can Be Sex Bob-Omb
• ALTERNATE FOOTAGE: A special look at alternative edits to the film
• PRE-PRODUCTION: A look inside the film's pre-production process including storyboards, pre-visualizations, animatics, motion capture tests, rehearsal footage, casting tapes, hair/make-up tests and more
• THE MUSIC OF SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD: This feature includes four complete music videos and video remixes from legendary DJ Osymyso
• VISUAL EFFECTS: This feature takes a second look at the movie's inventive visual effects
• SOUND WORK: A mini documentary about the creation of the film's super-powered sonic landscape
• TRAILERS & TV SPOTS from the theatrical release of the film
• ADULT SWIM: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation
• SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE CENSORS: TV safe version
• BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRODUCTION BLOGS from the set of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World by director /producer/ co-writer Edgar Wright
• FREE BONUS MOVIE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY: Blu-ray Combo Pack consumers will have instant access to stream action hits Tremors or Pitch Black via BD-Live, Smartphone or computer
• U-CONTROL: Universal's exclusive signature feature allows viewers to delve into the making of the film with the click of the remote without ever leaving the movie:
-- STORYBOARD PICTURE-IN-PICTURE
• POCKET BLU App: USHE's groundbreaking pocket BLU app uses iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Blackberry, Nokia Android, PC and Macintosh to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray player and offers advanced features such as:
-- ADVANCED REMOTE CONTROL: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live functions with ease
-- VIDEO TIMELINE: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the movie
-- MOBILE-TO-GO: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there's a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere
-- VIRTUAL KEYBOARD: Enter data into a Blu-ray player with your device's easy and intuitive keyboard that will facilitate such Blu-ray™ features as chatting with friends and sending messages
• DIGITAL COPY OF THE FILM: Blu-ray consumers can download a digital version of the movie to their Mac and/or Windows PC for a limited time only
• BD-LIVE: Access the BD-Live Center through your Internet-connected player to watch the latest trailers and more
• MY SCENES: Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movie
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS Surround 5.1, Spanish DTS Surround 5.1 (with English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World — Explore further:
—> Blu-ray Review by Dean Winkelspecht »
EXCERPT: With every new relationship, there are always situations where one must deal with the top of ex-significant others in some way, shape or form. Sometimes, it is simply a discussion. Other times, a one-on-one confrontation rears its head. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" focuses its attention on those nasty one-on-one confrontations and combines these situations with a "Mortal Kombat-esque" backdrop as writer/producer/director Edgar Wright brings Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novel series "Scott Pilgrim" to the big screen. This comedy starring Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead pits Scott Pilgrim (Cera) against Ramona Flowers' (Winstead) seven evil exes as Ramona is the girl of Scott's dream and he will fight the world to win her affection.

"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is not a film that is going to appeal to the mainstream masses. It will, however, appease fans of the original graphic novel series and those that are gamers or love a good comic book. There are heavy video game references throughout the film and some of the jokes such as gaining coins for defeating adversaries or earning a 1-Up are probably going to fall flat on those who haven't smashed Mario's head on a "?" a few times in their life. The film pays homage to the "Tony Hawk" series, "Mortal Kombat" and the rhythm game genre. In many aspects, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is the best 'fighting game' big-screen adaptation yet and there are life bars and other elements thrown in throughout the film.

The film's other primary element is its comic book influences and in many ways, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is a live-action comic book. The various fight scene effects have a movement and style reminiscent of frames in a comic book. The close-ups, tracking shots and pivotal moments are all started and stopped in shots that would translate perfectly to a singular cell of artwork in a comic. The movie is extremely colorful as well, as most comics are very brightly colored. There is a sense of hyper-reality throughout the film that would allow Scott Pilgrim and Canada to exist easily in ink and paper. This is not surprising as the film's genesis is a multi-part graphic novel.

The writing and direction of "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is very good and while Edgar Wright is best known for his work with Simon Pegg in "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," he is at home with this material and has done a very good job of combining the various novels into one larger tale that encompasses Scott's entire adventure against the seven exes. Wright understands the source material and he knows his target audience. For those that would have known who the character of Scott Pilgrim was before this film's release, they will enjoy the film. Unfortunately, for many others, the living comic-book and video game style of "Scott Pilgrim" will be a turn off and it is easy to see why this film was a box office flop of the disastrous proportions.

"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is a good time. However, it is flawed as its lead actor doesn't necessarily fit the bill. The movie suffers as well from being limited to a small audience and will have a difficult time finding popularity amongst the general populace. There was a lot of hype surrounding the release of "Scott Pilgrim" and the movie failed to generate much excitement at the box office and this is because the movie doesn't speak to those beyond comic book and video game fans. This is unfortunate, as "Scott Pilgrim" is a fun movie. Of course, I'm an avid gamer and do love a good graphic novel. If you are in the target audience, it would be hard to go wrong with "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," but if you are outside the intended demographics you will definitely want to take a pass on this film.

"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" was a film that piqued my interest. The trailer looked fun and I had enjoyed previous films with Michael Cera. Unfortunately, I was busy when the film first opened and just a couple of weeks later, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" was MIA at local theaters. The film tanked and it tanked badly. The problem with the picture isn't the film itself, but the limited audience. While I didn't particularly enjoy Cera in the lead role, he was serviceable and the rest of the film kept him afloat. The movie is fun, but it's definitely not a movie for everyone. The Blu-ray release is strong technically and has some very impressive special features. This is an impressive release, and considering its poor box office showing I am surprised it was given the royal treatment on home video. It's too bad the film didn't do better, but it should find a small cult following on video.

(Click thru the Link above for the full review)

—> Visit the film's Official Site »
(from Universal Studios)

—> View the Theatrical Trailer (w/HD) plus Production Featurette »
(from Apple.com Trailers website)

(HD International Trailer - 2:27)


Rated PG-13 for stylized violence, sexual content, language and drug references

Film Synopsis:
An epic of epic epicness.
Prepare to feel the wrath
of the League of Evil Exes...

Love is a battle. So fight for it!

Layabout musician Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls for the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), but in order to win her heart, he must defeat her seven evil exes.

Everything is totally sweet. Scott Pilgrim's life is so awesome. He's 23 years old, in a rock band, "between jobs," and dating a cute high school girl. Everything's fantastic until a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, roller blading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties.

But the path to Ms. Flowers isn't covered in rose petals. Ramona's seven evil exes stand between Scott and true happiness. Can Scott defeat all seven of the bad guys and get the girl without turning his precious little life upside-down, before the game is over?

The film is based on the Oni Press graphic novel "Scott Pilgrim Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life", written by Bryan Lee O'Malley.

In Toronto, 23-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is the bass guitarist for the band Sex Bob-omb and has just met the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Scott learns that he must battle Ramona's seven evil exes, who are coming to kill him, to finally win Ramona's heart. As Scott gets closer to Ramona, his encounters include skateboarders, vegan rock stars, and identical twins. To stay with Ramona, Scott must vanquish all of the seven evil exes before they defeat him.

Scott Pilgrim has never had a problem getting a girlfriend. It's getting rid of them that proves difficult. From the girl who kicked his heart's ass—and now is back in town—to the teenage distraction he's trying to shake when Ramona rollerblades into his world, love hasn't been easy. He soon discovers, however, his new crush has the most unusual baggage of all: a nefarious league of exes controls her love life and will do whatever it takes to eliminate him as a suitor. As Scott gets closer to Ramona, he must face an increasingly vicious rogues' gallery from her past—from infamous skateboarders to vegan rock stars and fearsomely identical twins. And if he hopes to win his true love, he must vanquish them all before it really is game over.