Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This movie was awesome. There is a bit of language, a lot of gay/lesbian jokes, and one scene of sensuality (no sex occurs), so an edited version might best suit some people (we kicked Clearplay in about three-quarters of the way into the movie). Scott Pilgirm reminded us a lot of Napoleon Dynamite, only Scott didn’t appear to be mentally handicapped, just very dweebish. There was a great mix of action, drama, and humor through out the movie; and the music was pretty good too, though possibly a little loud.

Moral Rating: 3 of 5

For as funny as it was, it was also very well written and was more than just the sum of the jokes and action. In a very creative way we see that the amount of effort you put into a relationship determines your overall happiness and the amount of self respect you have.

For the first time in his life, Scott meets someone that he wants to be with and is OK, at first, with having to beat up a few of Ramona’s evil ex’s (not ex-boyfriends). But the evil ex’s get more difficult to face and Scott seems to doubt the worth of fighting for Ramona’s love.

Similarly in real-life relationships, everything is great during the honeymoon period, but when life starts to set in, the luster seems to get lost and the relationship isn’t new anymore. We tend to forget that love is only as good as the amount of effort we put into the relationship (providing the other person is also making an effort - Ramona had to fight her share of exes as well.) The ex’s in the film can easily be paralleled to “baggage” that we bring into relationships. We need to learn to accept the person for who they are and help each other put the past behind and work toward a better future together.

[Mild Spoiler Alert]
Another “deep-thinking” moment occurs when Scott uses his extra life to change his weapon at the end from love to self respect. While fighting for love sounds noble and is often a legitimate reason for fighting in many Romanticized tales, the greatest strength we can receive in combating evil or overcoming obstacles is the amount of respect or confidence we have in ourselves to overcome these trials. Self-respect and confidence don’t come by allowing ourselves to be overcome in thought by our love for someone else; it comes by knowing who we are, what our potential is, and what we want to do with our lives. This self-realization most assuredly comes with divine assistance and guidance, though this aspect of it wasn’t really shown in the movie (unless you consider the creators of the story the ones who bestowed these special powers on Scott, then it might be extrapolated).