Scott Pilgrim Vs The world (the movie or the comic)

[broken_escalator]

When I first saw the evil ex girlfriend (Mae Whitman), I instantly thought of Arrested development and Jason Bateman popping in and saying "Her?" to Michael Cera. So I turned to my friend when she reappeared to fight the 2nd time and asked him, "her?" We laughed so hard.

Reference:

[*bird]

ALSO YOU GUYS: They showed a trailer for the movie DEVIL. A lot of people were making snarky/bitchy comments the whole way through. When they finally showed M. Night Shamalan's name, the whole theater groaned loudly then laughed.

I saw 5 movies in theaters in the last month (getting in my fun before grad school starts ). At least 4 had the Devil trailer, and every audience had this reaction.

So funny... same thing here. My friend also openly wondered about what the "twist" would be - we were like, it's so obvious because it's M.Night.

Yeah, he pretty much destroyed his reputation in most people's eyes... I think before ATLA, people were thinking he was just mediocre, now people think he's actively bad.

[ConMan]

I seem to remember that, in the comic, Ramona says "ex-boyfriends" a couple of times, which I suppose someone noticed as a missed opportunity for a joke.

Yeah, she says it early on, and only corrects him during the volume where Ramona's ex-girlfriend actually attacks.

I'm going to have to re-read the comics after having finally seen the film, but I seem to remember her both saying ex-boyfriends and being vague on the actual number of them. From which I got the impression that instead of just correcting Scott's "evil ex-boyfriends" to "evil exes" every time, she was sometimes correcting his "seven evil ex-boyfriends" to "approximately seven evil ex-boyfriends, plus one or two unvoiced ex-girlfriends". Like I said, I'll have to re-read.

[KrazyerKate]

The movie was not offensive to a gay guy via Wallace. Wallace is by far the best representation-- revolutionary in a way-- of a gay character in a comic/action-themed film.

He's sexual, upfront about it, he's viciously smart, and he gets his guys. He's an accomplished man. He has little dialogue, but what dialogue he does have is nothing short of brilliant.

Yeah, I thought the promiscuity was trying to make him more of a role-model, not less. It gave his advice more weight knowing that he's really really good at romancing people.

my favorite line was "I said lesbians!". "I think I lesbian you" was pretty predictable that got whatever laughs it deserved, but where most movies would have had the character immediately correct themselves, the dialogue moves on without taking any notice of the blunder until the serious, somber moment when the evil ex takes her away: when a bit of goofy awkwardness can lighten the mood.

I kinda wished they had made Ramona fight Scott's exes as well. For a good portion of the movie, they point out "hey, Scott has baggage too!", so I kept expecting it, but it never came. They probably would have had to up Knives' stalker side and tone down the adorably lovable side to make this plot element work, but I liked the drummer chick better anyway, so I'd have to hear from some Knives fans to tell me if that'd be okay.

[GhostWolfe]

I ordered the comics over the weekend, I can't wait till they get here. I muchly look forward to reading them.

/angell

[TheAmazingRando]

I felt like Ramona's character was a bit off. In the series she seems a lot friendlier with everyone, whereas the movie kind of played her off as distant and somewhat emotionally detached. A lot of this probably has to do with the difference in time-span (the series was months, the movie felt like a week or so, so it makes sense she would behave more like a stranger), they didn't really have time to get into her relationship with Kim, and cutting it out made a big difference in how I interpreted her personality. I'd have to watch it again to see, since I read it after I saw it. The balance between Scott's dorky shyness and his arrogance also didn't seem perfectly fleshed out, but I can appreciate how difficult that is to pull off.

Also,

Spoiler:

including the bit about Stephen Stills realizing he's gay and it being really no big deal at all probably would have been a good way to counteract the controversy about Wallace. Though, given that Wallace is probably the smartest, coolest person in the series, having a lot of sexual partners seems like a natural extension of his character, not some tacked on lazy stereotype. If he were straight I would expect the same thing. I can see how it might upset some people, though.

That being said, I thought it was a great adaptation. They weren't afraid to stray from the source material to make it work better as a movie, and it still felt incredibly faithful. Also, the casting was spot on. Some of the best I've seen in any adaptation of anything.

[ProZac]

I felt like Ramona's character was a bit off. In the series she seems a lot friendlier with everyone, whereas the movie kind of played her off as distant and somewhat emotionally detached. A lot of this probably has to do with the difference in time-span (the series was months, the movie felt like a week or so, so it makes sense she would behave more like a stranger), they didn't really have time to get into her relationship with Kim, and cutting it out make a big difference in how I interpreted her personality. I'd have to watch it again to see, since I read it after I saw it. The balance between Scott's dorky shyness and his arrogance also didn't seem perfectly fleshed out, but I can appreciate how difficult that is to pull off.

I'd say most of that is due to the movie focusing pretty much only on Scott. Even then, they didn't have time to delve into much of his past. Still, agreed that it was a great adaptation.

Also, I loved

Spoiler:

at the end when he dies and uses his extra life to "replay the stage." He does it exactly like I (and probably most) would. Skip all the cutscenes (dialogue), beat the crap out of anything you come across, take the fastest path possible, and just get to where you left off and fix your mistake.

[Jessica]

I really enjoyed watching this. It was fun, in so many different ways. I really liked it.

I also liked the times they used art from the comic, or the scenes which were directly taken from the comic. And the new stuff worked too.

Heh. Bi-furious.

[GhostWolfe]

I didn't feel like it drew a connection between "Wallace is gay" and "Wallace has multiple partners."

That was my feeling as well.

Having re-watched, I think the "gay rule book" joke might have been a bit out of line, though mostly because I don't think that Scott and Wallace's situations were comparable.

/angell

[Izawwlgood]

Combining two really awesome things:
http://entertainment.todaysbigthing.com/2010/08/31

[Adacore]

I felt like Ramona's character was a bit off. In the series she seems a lot friendlier with everyone, whereas the movie kind of played her off as distant and somewhat emotionally detached. A lot of this probably has to do with the difference in time-span (the series was months, the movie felt like a week or so, so it makes sense she would behave more like a stranger), they didn't really have time to get into her relationship with Kim, and cutting it out made a big difference in how I interpreted her personality.

My housemate had the opposite opinion, I think* - he thought Ramona was more distant and aloof in the comics than in the film, you get to know and like the character slowly: I made the point that they needed to make her a likeable character more quickly in the films, or you wouldn't be rooting for Scott to get the girl at the end - as you say, the time-scale thing was important. The movie took place over about a month (the thing with Ramona's hair was largely used in the movie as a device to show that significant time was passing off-screen), compared to the year or so for the comics.

*I've not actually read the comics, so everything I know about the differences comes from this thread, the wikipedia article and what my housemate has told me about them.

[podbaydoor]

Combining two really awesome things:
http://entertainment.todaysbigthing.com/2010/08/31

That. Was epic.

[lanicita]

Spoiler:

would the "no clue --> gets it" bit have been funnier if they hadn't pushed the fact that one of Romona's ex's was a girl so hard in the movie promotion? The whole gag is about messing with assumptions, and I think that a lot more people in the audience would have had the exact same DING! moment as Scott did, if the Roxie bit hadn't already been spoiled.

Spoiler:

FWIW, I didn't see the trailer before seeing the movie, and I guessed it after the first Roxie encounter (when they didn't actually say she was an evil ex). It was further confirmed when Ramona kept clarifying "evil exes" instead of "evil ex-boyfriends".

I knew nothing about this movie going into it, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't "just another Michael Cera movie" (quote via gmalivuk). I loved the stylization, and the whole thing felt like they had made a movie and then gone back through to watch it and asked each other "Hey, you know what would make this scene even funnier?" or "Hey, you know how I would react to that in real life?" and added all of that in. Like when

Spoiler:

the vegan police high-fived each other as they walked away.

It's just the little extras that improve everything about the movie.

That said, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if they had subverted the tropes about homosexuality and bisexuality that were already discussed. But I loved the total lack of homophobia, to the point where Scott was fine with sleeping in the same bed with multiple gay guys and it wasn't an issue at all.

Spoiler:

I was also very confused by the Envy stuff, to the point where she seemed entirely unnecessary to the story in the end. I wish there had been some kind of showdown with her as well, because really she just seemed to be stuck in there so that there would be an interesting backstory for another evil ex.

Another side note: I loved how many up-and-coming young actors were in this. Anna Kendrick, Mae Whitman, Kieran Culkin... if only there would be a different Michael Cera. Patrick Fugit would have been better- he's sweet and awkward like MC but I think he's also much less typecast-into-a-corner.

[GhostWolfe]

Spoiler:

FWIW, I didn't see the trailer before seeing the movie, and I guessed it after the first Roxie encounter (when they didn't actually say she was an evil ex). It was further confirmed when Ramona kept clarifying "evil exes" instead of "evil ex-boyfriends".

Yeah, but I'm a bit slow >_>

I was also very confused by the Envy stuff.

She's on the cover of one of the comics, so I'm thinking that she gets more of a starring role there. I think she was kinda critical to shaping Scott's character, but in the movie she did come across as a little undeveloped.

I wish my comics would hurry up and arrive

/angell

[ConMan]

In the comics, Envy has a much larger role. Scott was almost an essential part of her turning from "good girl" to "rocker chick", and particularly in the last volume (where Scott's dealings with his own exes are dealt with much more deeply than in the film) she has an important part in making Scott understand what he needs to do to be "good enough" for Ramona.

Explaining more would require spoilers and for me to read the books again.

[TheAmazingRando]

Regarding Envy (minor spoilers for the books and the movie):

Spoiler:

The books have a fight between Ramona and Envy. Most of the details ended up in the film in the fight against Roxie.

[Princess Marzipan]

It's just the little extras that improve everything about the movie.

Oh god, so this.

For instance: In the coffee shop, there is like 1.5 second shot that lets you read one of the signs that looks like it's advertising new coffee flavors or something. The sign reads "experience what attention to detail feels like." The best part that it *never comes back into focus.*

I saw it a second time today, and spent a lot of time looking at those details. Like the presence of numbers before most of the fights.

[Fractal_Tangent]

I went to see the film with the boyfriend and came out a little disappointed. I was a bit upset that neither Scott nor Ramona had all that much personality but everyone else seemed to. Ramona was played (as said before) as really distant and everything and there didn't seem to be all that much reason for the couple to work. However, Wallace's character made me giggle and he seemed like the one with the most personality. That said, I really loved the way it was presented and the boyfriend would not stop talking about the Zelda references scattered here and there.

[Jessica]

I personally liked how the movie was perfectly fine deviating from the source material. And yet, kept a lot of the really good one liners from the comic.

[Endless Mike]

I personally liked how the movie was perfectly fine deviating from the source material. And yet, kept a lot of the really good one liners from the comic.

Yeah. I can't help but imagine how much *better* it would have been with a bit more breathing room in terms of time. Even a three hour movie would have allowed for some big improvements, I think. Obviously, this would have been an impossible sell, which is sad. (Not that I think it was bad; I rather loved it, but having read the comics, I'm aware of just how much was cut from them to fit into a single film.)

[broken_escalator]

Its cool to think about what they maybe could have done if they made 2 movies instead of one. Realistically not going to happen, because even though my friend and I loved the every-loving crap out of it... it didn't really make that much money.

[Endless Mike]

There's no need for a second movie. They told the story. I wasn't really disagreeing with the decision to make one movie. It was never going to be a big money-maker, I don't think. I'm just playing what if in my head.

[Jesse]

Honestly, I preferred the movie to the comic. The only things I would really have kept from the comic that they didn't was

Spoiler:

Todd cheating on Envy, much more of Kim's story and merging with Nega-Scott making him realise how bad a person he'd really been.

[Izawwlgood]

Combining two really awesome things:
http://entertainment.todaysbigthing.com/2010/08/31

That. Was epic.

I'm just glad that somewhere out there, someone understands what I need to thrive as a human being.

[Endless Mike]

Honestly, I preferred the movie to the comic. The only things I would really have kept from the comic that they didn't was

Spoiler:

Todd cheating on Envy, much more of Kim's story and merging with Nega-Scott making him realise how bad a person he'd really been.

You wouldn't have kept

Spoiler:

Scott fighting a series of increasingly sized robots prior to the twins!?

I just think there was a LOT of character-building that had to be cut to make way for the various fights.

[Jessica]

I liked the movie fight for the twins much more than the comic fight.

Spoiler:

Dueling bands > kneeing them in the face after kidnapping kim

[Endless Mike]

They could have done both!

[Jesse]

Yeah, the fight sin the comic actually felt like a let-down.

[Endless Mike]

I guess I am seeing it like this: The fights in the movie ARE the movie. And that's fine. It worked out well. The fights in the comic are plot points in a bigger story.

[Jesse]

Nothing wrong with the comic, it just wasn't written in a way that I found enjoyable, and so the movie did a better job of it for me.

[Jessica]

I just finished book 6 (like, now) and... I'm not sure if I like the book or the movie better. The movie was fast paced and fun. The comic was interesting, and made me think. Both have their flaws, like the fact that no one has any depth in the movie, or that the comic... I don't really know what the comic is trying to say.

[Malice]

I just finished book 6 (like, now) and... I'm not sure if I like the book or the movie better. The movie was fast paced and fun. The comic was interesting, and made me think. Both have their flaws, like the fact that no one has any depth in the movie, or that the comic... I don't really know what the comic is trying to say.

Spoiler:

In essence, the comic is trying to say that our past shapes who we are; that we inflict our own heartache on others; that life is more complicated than a video game; and that learning and understanding these things, figuring out who we are and what we want and why and how to deal with that, is how we grow up.

[Adacore]

Yeah, it's all about the message that everyone is carrying baggage, and that baggage will, in turn, effect everyone we meet. At least, I think that's right

[cephalopod9]

Spoiler:

Was anyone else really hoping he'd end up with Knives? I mean, she's the one who fought alongside him at the end! They moved as one! They're freakin' MEANT for eachother!

Oh, and who all is envying the crap out of Michael Cera right now? /raises hand

The movie sort of feinted towards that but

Spoiler:

even when they were "together" I got way more of a BFF's vibe from them than romantic tension.

One thing that's been sort of bothering me, and people I know: Do they live in a video game world, or are those elements brought in by Ramona? The movie never makes this clear, as we only see "battles" and such revolving around Ramona, and even though Scott takes to fighting pretty easily, it seems sorta unprecedented in his life. On the other hand, no one seems to think much of people exploding into money, and there don't seem to be any negative consequences for exploding people into money.

I've only glanced over the comics, but it looks like they took more of the "video game world" approach, there's a side story about buying soda with good power-ups, and there seemed to be a flash back to a similar situation involving different characters, but since I haven't read the whole story, I don't know if that was a dream sequence or what.

[Jesse]

It's a representation of Scott's inner battle with himself and his own past, and so is shown in a way that he can identify with.

[Endless Mike]

The movie makes less reference to it than the comics, which make it seem like it's slightly unexpected, but not completely so. For instance, in the fight with Matthew Patel, Kim counts out Scott's combo and proclaims he beat his previous record, so there's at least some previous knowledge of their world's rules, but at the same time, when Scott sees a 1-up (his head floating in mid-air) they call it kinda freaky (or creepy, I forget). Similarly, before they meet up with Clash at Demonhead, there's a save point in the room that Scott doesn't recognize as such.

If anything, the characters in the movie expect it more than their comic counterparts. When Scott sees his 1-up, he just says he's getting it, and does so, with no other recognition of it.

[Jesse]

Actually, in reference to the 1-up

Spoiler:

He says he's "Getting a life." Again, a videogame representation of a real world feeling.

[podbaydoor]

The fighting is explained by that awesome, awesome Ninja Ninja Revolution game. Scott probably logged a lot of hours on it.

Though to be frank, I rather enjoyed the movie's complete lack of explanation of the video game elements, or Scott's fighting ability. On one hand, words fail to describe the glee I feel at watching awkward, wet noodle Michael Cera explode into spectacular kung-fu action. And on the other hand, the whole thing felt like a love letter to the Nintendo generation. I like that we're old enough that we get witty pop culture deconstruction status now.

[Izawwlgood]

I sort of liken it to a musical, where, duh, everyone sings and dances. Of COURSE everyone knows Kung-Fu or externalizes their emotional state via video game iconography. Whether or not the leader of an inner city New York gang can actually explain why when your a Jet you're a Jet all the way, it works because I'm not here for realism, I'm here to see Scott Pilgrim get blown through a wall in a Bass Off

[Jessica]

I like the musical reference. Awesome