Scott
Pilgrim Vs. The World is a comic book series created by Brian Lee O'Malley
and was adapted to a movie, tied in with video game aspects. Scott Pilgrim is a
film directed by Edgar Wright about a bassist who wants to pursue the girl of
his dreams but has to defeat her seven evil exes’. Yes, the plot sounds simple,
and it is simple, but the film is full of twists. There are several small
instances that take the viewer by surprise. Scott Pilgrim featured catchy
original underground and classic music. Besides the love interest, the movie
also focuses on Scott and his indie rock band Sex Bob-omb. There is focus on
the bands journey through a battle of the bands competition to gain success
under a record label.
What created a
small, but strong fan base for Scott Pilgrim? It is a combination of great
graphics, editing, soundtrack, and quick comedic inserts. This film is a comic
to video game/movie adaptation. Scott Pilgrim creatively took a movie and mixed
it with a video game references that appealed to an audience that grew up in
the 90s. The movie takes place in the mind of Scott Pilgrim, so nothing makes
sense as to why it happens.
What makes a
film a classic
cult film? There are several different outlooks on what makes a film a cult
film. Some see it as a film not being mainstream with small revenue. Then,
there are films such as Mamma
Mia! that grossed over $600,000,000 worldwide,
but is considered a "cult" film. Most people would classify a film as a cult
film based on the small selective fan base. But, if you dig deeper into that
meaning, a cult film is how the fans celebrate the film. Over the years,
studios have attempted to purposefully create cult films because of how strong
and loyal the audience following entails. The studios have failed. Creating a
cult following has to happen naturally. When studios try to make a cult
following for their movies, it appears forced and backfires.
Scott Pilgrim's
fan base was centered on video game lover and comedy. Though, in Scott Pilgrims
head everyone had powers, the characters were really relatable. Scott Pilgrim
also crossed itself into an unchartered territory on what can be classified as
a super hero. The characters in this film have "super powers" but not
in the traditional sense of what DC Comics would classify as a superhero. Scott
Pilgrim never explains why the characters have powers, they just do. Another
reason the fan base was solid is because of how well the dialogue was written.
Any person who has watched Scott Pilgrim, and has loved it, can quote several
lines from the movie; they are very memorable.
Some cult films
like to put on conventions or celebrations
for the movie. The director of Scott Pilgrim likes to hold several midnight
showings of the movie out in LA. This past august, Bryan and Edgar held a
midnight anniversary screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It featured
8-bit music created specifically for the movie, fans showed up dressed as
characters, and half an audience that has never seen the movie. Bryan and Edgar
made this experience different from the original theatre release; they show the
movie in 35mm. The audience found a new appreciation for the film because of
its simplicity in their showmanship.
