A KO on every level

From the second the iconic Universal logo plays on screen in pixelated format with eight bit music, you know Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is going to be a faithful adaptation of the comic series which draws unashamedly from video game culture. Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's cult graphic novels, the film follows 23-year-old slacker and indie rocker Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) who falls for the super cool Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). But in order to date her, he must defeat her seven evil exes; Indian/pirate hipster Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha), movie star Lucas Lee (Chris Evans), rock star Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), lesbian Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman), the Katayanagi twins (Keita Saitou and Shota Saito), and music producer Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman). Huge fans of the source material, such as my myself, will not be disappointed with what can only be described as an absolutely awesome film. The comics were very simply animated, with traditional manga style and black and white imagery. However, it was always the content that made them great as they captured the humour and attitudes of a particular period most twenty-something's can relate to. The film manages to not only capture the tone of the comics, but enhance it. The signature pop-up titles are transferred usefully into the film and besides being visually engaging, they add some great comedic commentary.In fact, everything has been done perfectly in the crossover to the big screen and Scott Pilgrim Vs The World virgins are likely to be blown away by the plethora of pop culture references, music, surreal action scenes and the flawless integration of video game elements.But this film is dinged by the all-round strong performances from the ensemble cast.Michael Cera actually steps away from the mumblecore, shy teenager-schtick he has become so well known for and successfully takes on a more complex character. He is supported strongly by the hilarious and pitch-perfect work from actors such as Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Allison Pill, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Ellen Wong, Brandon Routh and Jason Schwartzman in smaller roles. But it is Kieran Culkin, the younger brother of Home Alone star Macaulay, who steals the show as Scott's gay best friend and roommate Wallace Wells. Culkin captures Wallace's dry sense of humour and wit perfectly, breathing life into what is by far one of the most unique characters in the story.

Yet the star of the movie has to be writer, director and producer Edgar Wright, who has crafted a piece of film pop culture unlike any other. The absurdist nature of the story line and constant video game references, such as the bad guys turning into coins when defeated and the Legend Of Zelda theme music playing in the background, would have been too much for some filmmakers to try and tackle. But Wright boldly takes the blueprint and erects a tower of colour, action, humour and style that reaches the giddy great heights of ADD filmmaking. Although it is very different from Wright's previous films,Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, it is similar in that it also has their intelligence, comedic timing and inventive camera work.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is really a multimedia package, with the borrowed elements and shout-outs to technology flying in as fast as the jokes. It is edited and packaged so sharply that I physically had to close my mouth after the first 15 minutes to suppress any further outbursts of appreciative geekiness and cheshire grin. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is a KO on every level and to quote its tagline, it is truly "an epic of epic epicness''.

It is out in cinemas now.

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An epic review of epic epicness

Kiddies, prepare to wet your panties because my online video review of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is up. You can view it HERE.

Thanks has to go to my mad gamer friends, headed by Peflab, who helped me with the tech terminology. I hope y’all like it and stay tuned for my extended written review.

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That Thing you do

See that? See what I did there with the headline? Clever huh *insert cricket noise and tumble weed here. Moving on…uber-talented Australian lad Joel Edgerton is set star in a remake of The Thing.

The Hollywood remake is said to be a remake of John Carpetner’s `82 version of The Thing which was a remake of the Howard Hanks’ `51 film The Thing From Another World which was a take on the `38 short Who Goes There?

If you lead a more exciting life then I, a fun game could be played involving a shot of whiskey every time I use the word `remake’. An even funner game would be a shot every time Hollywood did another remake (shot!) which would have you in a medically induced coma in 45 minutes ….approximately.

Remake (shot!) negativity aside, I’m actually semi-excited about this, mainly because Edgerton (below) is involved and frankly, I consider him a bit of a multi-talented, cinematic genius. Did I mention his most recent film Animal Kingdom picked up the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance? And don’t even get me started on The Square.

The Thing follows a shape-shifting alien who terrorizes a group of people in Antarctica. Sounds a bit like the first Alien Vs Predator to me, but less shit.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead will co-star, which is good if she behaves like she did in Death Proof and frightening if she pulls a Make It Happen. Her character is a PhD candidate (cough) who joins a Norwegian research team in Antarctica after it discovers an alien ship in the ice. When the trapped organism is freed and begins a series of attacks, she is forced to team up with a blue-collar mercenary helicopter pilot (Edgerton) to stop the rampage.

Dutch producer Matthijs Van Heijningen makes his directorial debut with The Thing which begins filming on March 15 in Toronto.

No word yet on a release date or 3D inclinations.

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