Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a movie that doesn't really need a review. The fact of the matter is that if you like the trailer, you'll really like the film. If you think the trailer looks annoying, I don't think the film is quite good enough to win you over. So feast your eyes on this and make up your mind.

As for me, I really liked it. I wouldn't say that I loved it because it's just a simple, fun comedy and there's nothing to really push it over the edge into greatness. It sits happily in very goodness. I went in with middling expectations and the film turned out to be better than I had hoped. Basically, it reminded me of Spaced or Hot Fuzz if it was made for American sensibilities and was directed by a music video director. The reason that I don't think it would win over any converts is because the film has a lot of guffaws but not many side-splittingly funny moments. There are a lot of great lines but not a ton of hilarious situations. The fights scenes are fairly forgettable although they are all stylistically impressive. It was a role that Michael Cera was born to play (and this is coming from someone who was quickly growing tired of him) and it doesn't hurt that I'm a big fan of Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Alison Pill is great in it while Kieran Culkin reminds everyone that he can nail the role of the cad, no matter what sexuality. A lot of people seem to be surprised at how he steals most of the scenes he's in but he's basically playing a gay version of Igby from "Igby Goes Down". The film does slow down a bit near the end and I think the funniest bit might have been before the movie even started but there were still enough laughs to keep me grinning in my seat.

Reading some of the negative reviews, it's hard to figure out what movie that the critics were going to see. Some complaints are that it's hollow but it's a basic comedy and I'm thankful that they didn't waste too much time trying to build some moral to the story. Also, Edgar Wright makes funny fluff; it's not like Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz had a huge heart or were soulful reminders of woebegone days. Scott Pilgrim is very close to those films at its core but the huge difference is the video game vibe the film has is very different from the cop or zombie genre and the hipster lovable loserish guy who actually does really well with girls isn't as affable or generally appealing as the lovable losers of Wright's previous two films (or Spaced). A young Simon Pegg probably would have knocked this role out of the park but Cera fills in nicely.

I'd heartily recommend the film but I just have a feeling that there are people who are just kind of programmed not to be into it. For them, it might be a film that they catch on TV one day and say, "Hey, that movie wasn't too bad." But for tonight my choices were checking out "Scott Pilgrim" or staying home and watching "The Hills Have Thighs" and I'm happy to say that I made the right decision.

(And in terms of my earlier entry about stakes, this film doesn't really have much but if you're really tuning in to see who wins the fights or who gets the girl, well, you're just in the wrong mindset to enjoy the film. It's nothing more than a light comedy.)