Grade: A
There are some movies that seem to truly belong only on the big-screen. Anyone who saw “Avatar” in IMAX 3D and then tried to watch in on a regular TV knows that the film simply loses the magic it had when it was six-stories tall. Going broader, anyone who saw “Star Wars” in theaters knows that there’s no comparison to the theatrical experience; the home is fine, but the theater is where the magic happens.
When I saw “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” in theaters, I figured that with the imagination and vibrancy of each ensuing fight, there wouldn’t be much reason to watch the film at home, at least not if I wanted the same feeling as in the theater.
I was dead wrong. The Blu-Ray/DVD of “Scott Pilgrim” truly redefines whether a film ever belongs to the big screen or the small screen — its depth of features and the sincerity in its construction should be the barometers by which all future films in your collection should be judged.
Movie
The film, for those who don’t know, follows Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) as he pursues the love of his life Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) by battling her seven evil exes in video game-style throw downs. It’s peppered with great visuals, great music and a sharp script; all helmed by master director Edgar Wright at the top of his game.
I liked “Scott Pilgrim” in theaters, and there were parts about it that I loved. But on the whole, I thought the pacing was a little off at points, and that seven evil-exes were pushing the bounds of patience at points. It’s amazing, then, what a re-watch in the comfort of your own home will do for you.
The pacing problems, the drawn-out resolution, a sluggish middle — all of those are gone. Instead, the film simply feels more natural; “Scott Pilgrim” is the sort of movie you’re supposed to enjoy not in a cold, dark theater, but in your living room with an absurd amount of pizza and soda with a group of your best friends.
The comic-book flick is a labor of love made better after soaking up a repeat viewing in the comfort of a living room. Seek it out as soon as you possibly can.
Blu-Ray/DVD
First and foremost, the commentary tracks run rampant and feature almost every principle player of the cast and crew, with options to toggle different “sets” of people depending on what you’re looking for from your commentary. The film is worth revisiting for this alone, as Wright and the cast’s banter is funny and amusing but never self-congratulatory.
The “Making-Of” documentary is not the typical self-promotion so common to these releases, but instead a 2-part, 50-minute documentary into the general process of making “Pilgrim” come to life, featuring early screen tests, the difficulties of casting, the challenges of making a film concurrently with the unfinished comic it’s based on, and more. What comes across even more so than in the actual film is the love for the material shared unanimously by almost everyone on set, from actors and producers to sound technicians and lighting units.
Fans also shouldn’t be too quick to skip the “Trivia Track” as a lot of the facts it has make for a fun way to re-experience a great film with some great information that helps put it all into perspective.
One of my favorites on the disc though is “Preproduction,” which runs close to two hours and is a treasure trove of the effort than went into making the film work well before cameras ever started rolling. With segments on story boarding, stunt-practice, the construction of rigs used for mid-air combat, and other technical information that would have otherwise gone overlooked, “Preproduction” should be near the top of what you check out.
Blu-Ray/DVD Extras
- Deleted and Alternate Scenes
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the Bloopers
- Feature Commentaries
- Behind-the-Scenes Photo Galleries
- Trivia Track
- Galleries
- Insider Documentaries
- Alternate Footage
- Pre-Production
- The Music of “Scott Pilgirm vs. the World”
- Visual Effects
- Sound Work
- Trailers & TV Spots
- Adult Swim Shorts
- Scott Pilgrim vs the Sensors (TV-Safe Version)
- Behind-the-Scenes Production Blogs
Deleted scenes are usually duds, but with around 28 minutes of new or alternate footage, there’s a part of me that’s holding out hope for an extended cut of “Pilgrim” to hit, new scenes and all. It’s a crime to watch these, though, without going through the commentary, as hearing the editorial process is as entertaining as watching the new material itself.
There’s a great series of video blogs by Edgar Wright that were shot for principal photography, and having them all in one place helps to expand on a lot of the material covered in the commentaries, though their aim skews more toward the technical than the creative.
Continuing on the trend of technical expertise, the “Sound Work” and “Visual Effects” portions feature some great interviews with guys who would never make the regular press rounds. The Sound Work ends up being the more interesting of the two, if only because it underscores a lot of little touches that go almost unnoticed on a regular viewing.
Other than that, there are a lot of little trinkets along the way that need to be seen by even a casual fan of the film to help understand how detailed and real the efforts were to get this movie made. “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” isn’t just a film but a universe, and this Blu-Ray is an almost exhaustive collation of all that effort in one place.
Contact the critic at vburnton@asu.edu
- Related: Q and A: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
