Odds are if you’re a gamer, at some point or another you’ve fantasized about some of your favorite moments in gaming come to life.  Maybe you had a mental image about firing off a hadouken at the guy in line at the supermarket who took too many items into the express lane, or wished when you found that $20 you forgot about in a winter coat pocket that Final Fantasy’s victory fanfare would accompany it.  If you’ve ever had a moment like that, Scott Pilgrim’s hyper-realistic interpretation of those kinds of daydreams will keep you sucked in throughout its entirety, chuckling all along the way.

At its core, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is about an early twenties geek who wants to get the girl.  But to do that, there has to be a reckoning of sorts with her seven evil exes.  Set in Toronto Canada, Scott, along with his band Sex Bob-omb must rise to the occasion in the local battle of the bands while also taking his own  journey of self-discovery about love, life, and relationships.  Where most coming-of-age tales are likely to make you feel old, Scott Pilgrim brings you in right along for the ride no matter how old you are.

The 8-bit influence oozes out of almost every scene right from the beginning with more videogame references throughout than I’ve ever seen before.  It’s not just the seizure-inducing special effects sprinkled liberally throughout Scott Pilgrim, but also the way the editing is done as well that make it so magnetic.  Similar to how old cartridge games had no load times to speak of, Scott Pilgrim also has no load times either in that one scene immediately slams into the next with almost zero transition.  It’s a little bit jarring, but certainly keeps things moving along which is probably a good thing as it’s nearly every bit of 2 hours.

Having Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) at the helm certainly doesn’t hurt either.  Each scene has a meticulous detail about it, even when it doesn’t look like much is going on.  From the very calculated use of ambient sound in each scene to the awesome fight choreography, Wright seems to have precisely captured everything about the feel of the comics and translated it flawlessly into a visual feast of sorts. The other half of that timing has to come from the actors, however, and thankfully I couldn’t think of a better cast to represent Scott and his cohorts.

While there has been some criticism that Michael Cera in the lead role was a questionable choice at best, I think he did a bang up job. Cera may be the very definition of typecast, persistently locked in as the heartbroken, awkward kid trying to get the girl but that’s ok because that’s what Scott Pilgrim’s all about.  Well, that and over-the-top action sequences reminiscent of Soul Calibur or Street Fighter, but we’ll get to that. Cera especially shines when interacting with his roommate, Wallace (Kieran Culkin).

In fact, if given a bit more screentime he might’ve stolen the limelight from Cera without breaking a sweat.  Almost everything out of Wallace’s mouth is hilarious and the very heartfelt dynamic between he and Scott really lends the film some emotional depth. In fact, nearly all of Scott’s bandmates, his sister, and friends are what really make the cast as a whole stand out.  Cera couldn’t have carried this role on his own in the same way Scott couldn’t handle the journey he’s on without the loving support of his friends- even if that support gets tempered with some sharp insults along the way or creeps out when you least suspect it, but it’s needed the most.

The converse to Scott’s troupe of course would be the seven evil exes that Scott must defeat to win the heart of his love, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Nearly all of the exes are vibrant and entertaining.  Each one represents in his own way the insecurity everyone feels to some degree when considering the past of a significant other.  Of course, typically that past doesn’t manifest itself in the form of a murderous jock/actor/skateboarder hell bent on destroying us.  Seeing a tangible altercation take place that is born from those kind of daydreams is a blast and the actors portraying all of the exes perform admirably. Although some of them didn’t quite translate as well from the comic and even come off a bit bland.  Thankfully though, the fight sequences that play out from each tend to make up for these detriments.

While it may not initially appeal to every demographic, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has a little something for everyone. Granted, it’ll resonate more with members of my generation, but even more established ‘adults’ will have a hard time denying that it’s a lot of campy, over-the-top fun that still manages to pull at the heart strings.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World gets an 8.5 out of 10.

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