Without knowing what Negascott was from the comics, there was an added lightbulb moment joke to him being really nice because Negascott read as simple evil twin, but since Scott is actually the evil twin obviously Negascott has to be a nice guy
My take is similar but different - that Scott's neither good nor evil, but somewhere in between - the same flaws that killed his past relationships also kept him as friends with his exes. So naturally, his reflection is also in-between, presumably with opposite flaws, but also a shade of grey.
i had a similar take when I watched the movie. I haven't read the comics yet but I was surprised when I found out what negascott's purpose was in the comics
My biggest complaint against the movie is how they just made Ramona depressed the whole time. In the comics, her relationship with Scott is actually really wholesome and cute despite the obvious flaws.
Same with Scott in a different sort of way. In the comics, he is basically if luffy was a 20 something year old Canadian, in the sense that his stupidity made him somewhat lovable, whereas in the movie he is just Michael cera being Michael cera. I hope they make this change in the anime.
I think a big part of Ramona's character in the movie was because the movie's script (besides the ending, which they reshot) was finished before Volume 4 of the comics even released. Unfortunately, their relationship mostly starts to get into the cute stuff near the end of Volume 3 (correct me if I'm wrong). That's also why we mostly get content from volumes 1-3, *briefly* skim through four with Roxy (even then, her fight is adapted from both Volume 3's Envy vs. Ramona and the bonus story from Free Comic Book Day 2006) and Volume 5 *technically* has a presence in the movie because the Twins are in it. The only things from Volume 6 that show up are Gideon, the Chaos Theatre, and Scott's death (which was foreshadowed all the way back in Volume 2!).
@@nrnehigie7382Naaahh... Scott is an asshole and a through and through loser. Luffy is actually really positive and is pretty emotionally intelligent. Just look at him antagonizing Coby infront of Marines; So that Coby could join the marines and follow his dreams. There's also his boundless goodness. When faced with an ultimatum of get the a ship/ride to meet his friends or saving people that defended him; Without hesitation he answers for his benefactors to be saved, even lowering his head to the floor while smiling.
@@nrnehigie7382 I never read the comics, but from the video it feels like a lovable himbo, that unintentionally hurts people by his lack of self-awareness...
The funny thing is, I interpreted Scott’s relationship with Knives in the movie as Scott always needing someone to tell him he’s awesome because he doesn’t actually believe it.
@@falconeshield They don't. Upon learning she's 18, Scott suggests, "Do you want to have sex? I think we should have sex. CASUAL SEX." (with an arrow previously having pointed to him as "Sketchy-ass 24 year-old"), followed by Knives turning him down, explaining that she has moved on from him and how she is "trying to learn to like me. Alone", then says, "...It's cool if we just make out for a while", and they stop immediately after they begin to do that, with the narrator saying, "BUT IT WAS HORRIBLE FOR EVERYONE (and that includes you)".
@@BloodyMunchkin You're welcome :) I just bought the rest of the series a few weeks ago (I've had the first two volumes since 2021). Probably my second favorite comic book series, behind The Sandman.
I just always got the feeling that Comic Scott, while a lame nerd, was never the degree of lame nerd that Michael Cera portrayed. I think comic Scott was a little more indie and confident than Michael cera displays throughout the movie
Comic Scott is FAR closer to Philip J. Fry than George Michael Bluth. Both are "lame", but obviously distinct from each other, and have different talent pools you should be thinking of in regard to remake casting? Comic Scott probably HAS an "All Rush Mixtape". Movie Scott probably doesn't.
@@Volvagia1927what do you mean? I’m struggling to understand the meaning of your comment beyond “comic better” it’s sounds like that but in a verbose way.
I think a really important thing about Scott's character in the comics, that I didn't really understand fully until a reread, is that he's not JUST an idiot. He's a willful idiot. He's an idiot as a defense mechanism, because he can't be held accountable for or feel guilty about the things that he does if he's too stupid to understand them. I mean he's genuinely stupid too, like he was always gonna be an idiot, but he's perpetually content to avoid learning things or paying attention to the world around him for the same reason he represses and rewrites his memories of all the shitty things he's done to his previous partners. It's one of the wrinkles that makes Scott Pilgrim and interesting comic to think about and I hope we get some exploration of that in the upcoming anime's take on the story.
yea he is super avoidant of all his behaviour and problems its rlly interesting especially knowing a lot about therapy/human behaviour because when he starts to realize his mistakes he shuts down and blocks out the world constantly which is rlly damaging to the immune system and most likely perpetuates his idiocy, lack of awareness, and memory loss, as by that point he's basically numb to life. I love seeing characters that mimic really common human behaviours because its surprisingly not often shown as in media characters always seem to be about facing their problems
You can tell, however, that a small part of him WANTS to be better. I feel like he's just waiting for someone else to guide him in the right direction since he thinks he's doing great and everyone else is like "No you aren't. Fix yourself, dumbass." It's like he's silently asking life "What do you want from me?!" Aren't we all like that in some form?
@@jskywalker58 oh I loved the anime, it was its own completely different thing I didn't know I wanted but a story primarily focused on Ramona confronting and reconciling with her past relationships was in fact something I wanted
Fun fact: Brian Lee O'Malley has stated that every different media piece of Scott Pilgrim (Book, movie, Netflix series) is actually an alternate timeline.
Scott realising all his friends moving on and Scott eventually realising his memories are wrong and him getting a job is the thing that the movies are missing to its detriment for me. It really makes "Scott earned the power of self respect" mean alot more and not having it without that makes it feel unearned in the movie. The journey of self improvement is just absent in the movie.
To be fair like it was stated in the video the movie was made while the comic (I like to think of it as manga😊) was still ongoing, just like many Mangas that get turned into anime and finish while the manga is still ongoing.
I mean that kinda happens in the movie, Scott loses his place in the band and all his friends are fine with leaving him behind to pursue their music careers
@@khiclark31 IIRC the final volume hadn't even been started yet by the time the movie came out, which led to some interesting revisions (for instance, that page of Scott lying in a pitch-black background with an arrow pointing to him reading "DEAD"? Yeah, that only happened _because_ O'Malley saw it in the movie and liked the visual!)
The big thing I noticed last time I consumed Scott Pilgrim was the difference between Scott's exes and Ramona's exes - where Ramona's exes all need to be defeated in order to deal with them, Scott's exes are all either already chill, or are talked down - the movie even ends with Knives literally telling Scott to go with Ramona, in direct contrast to Ramona's exes insisting she can't date anyone but them. I feel like that says something about Scott and Ramona, but I'm not sure what...
@@jonesblack1742Yea, Ramona and Scott are both fuck ups; Scott we already know how much of a loser he is, Ramona is someone that just goes whataver (And ditches whenever things spiral out of hand for her). Really wished the film, touched on that a bit more.
I think its cause scott is such a fucked up loser, that people (his exes especially) are ok with getting rid of him, while ramona is constantly adored and sought after, even by the exes that she got rid of lifetimes ago.
For me personally, why I love this movie and why it deeply resonates with me, is because I don't see movie Scott's problem as that he's simply insecure. Instead I see movie Scott as someone who is deeply narcissisticaly insecure, he's so caught up in his own head about his own insecurities that his world fails to see the feelings and thoughts of others. His Journey to self respect is what allows him to get over himself and grow up and finally start considering what's best for people other than himself.
What I liked about Cera’s performance is how he captured the “nice” guy. He plays the victim given the opportunity and with a little power he’s manipulative. At the end of the film Scott has learned to be honest about his feeling and realizes how he has hurt people. That’s why nega Scott is a joke since the the painful part of that growth already occurred.
Very good discussion. I don't care how true to the original the adaptation is, as I never read the comics. I only care if it works as a movie - and it does to me. I love it. That said, it's not perfect. I was mostly frustrated with the ending because Scott fighting Gideon is not a culmination of his arc - it should be Ramona's arc. She's the one who needs to break free of him. Scott should have fought with Nega-Scott, and it should not be about overcoming his insecurities, but him realising he uses his insecurities as a way to manipulate and not take responsibility for how he hurts people. While he sort of learned that lesson, it was not effectively managed. I tend to be a bit more critical wince Wright's Cornetto trilogy is so perfect in setting up and paying off. But it was revealing that he had to work with a story that was not finished when they started on the script. Explains a lot.
In the surface reading of the movie, Gideon is absolutely appropriate as the final boss. Scott is (fake-)dating a high school girl until he meets Ramona and wants to date her, but she reveals that to get together, he needs to defeat her seven evil exes, so he fights his way through all seven, and they end up together. He got a quest, did the quest, and got the reward. Of course, when you dig deeper, yeah, it's all about Ramona - her exes, her potentially dating Scott, her tendency to ghost people... Scott's just there to let Ramona deal with her past.
@@josepablodeleon6073 Yes but in the same way the movie is its own thing. You can see in the trailer that they recreated various parts of the movie and comic so it's a retelling but with a few things changed around.
I can’t help but wonder if the movie had the self respect ‘message’ , it would have been better off having a “Scott ends up not picking anyone” ending because of what the film was attempting to do and it would have a different ending from the comic, In a way leading up to learning about dealing with his insecurities and not needing a relationship ect ect
i just dont think thats the actual message in the first place, while the comic asks scott to stop being ignorant, the movie almost does the same thing, just asking him to stop being self-aware without working to change. thats what i think anyways, just dont see what about the movie screams that the theme is self confidence
So much of this echoes how I've felt about the movie forever - i read the comics *after* I saw the movie, and I love both of them for completely different reasons. The movie is a tour de force action movie about some likeable jerks, and the comic is a deep dive into why these likeable jerks are the way they are. The comics blow the movie out of the water, but not because the movie is bad; they're just that much *better*.
I will stand by the scene where Scott jumps out of the window behind Wallace as he closes the door as one of most well written and timed physical comedy scenes of all time. The pace of the film gives you 0 seconds to process the joke so it just gets stepped over by the next scene.
I actually like the fact that there was an intent to show that Scott DOES have insecurities. Typically, people(men) who cheat on their partners and treat everyone around them like crap tend to behave this way BECAUSE it stems from insecurities or even unresolved trauma. Though Scott is shown to be more cool in the comics, making him more human for a LIVE action movie was a smart and , imo cute decision. It's cute to see the types of things guys get self conscious about(needing a haircut, too confident girlfriends etc) and how it plays into their actions.
RUclips just now decided to put this video on my feed even though I'm subscribed and I immediately clicked on it. This is such an incredible video. The process of adapting a work into a new medium is so interesting (I took a whole class on it during my first year of college!) and you do such a good job discussing Scott Pilgrim's unique place in that world. All of your videos have such an obvious high level of thought and work put into them. This one is so good!! Keep up the amazing work! Love your videos :)
Scott Pilgrim has been my favorite movie for a while, but I see more and more of its problems the more time goes, even though it doesn’t change anything to me. I think in some ways it’s better than the comic as it’s more contained and Edgar Wright is so precise in his projects, and in other ways the comic - because it goes further and deeper - is more interesting. I can’t wait to see what you have to say.
I’m so glad this video exists! So many people seem to only take in the superficial similarities between the comics and movie and that’s left me feeling rather bitter towards the movie. But hearing more background and in-depth analysis of why it turned out this way (and the narrative failings that come with it) has me honestly feeling a lot more positively about it!
Thank you for bringing me up the books not being finished. A lot of discussions about Scott Pilgrim tend to forget or ignore the comic wasn’t fully adapted.
The main thing about the movie is that the movie does it's style so well that it only needs the most basic of okay plots to be good, and having watched the movie first, I think it did a great job. There is just enough character growth to say there is arcs, and I think that's fine.
I think sometimes stories just work while breaking some or even all of the writing rules. Our lives are more chaotic piles of events rather then some well designed character arcs, so a movie can also be that. Scott Pilgrim movie is one of those, where not everything has meaning and even make sense, but you just feel something while watching it and that’s satisfying
I hope the anime is able to adapt those smaller moments in the comic that the movie didnt have time to cover. Especially Scott's depression arc, after Ramona leaves him. I feel like so much of his character development happens during that small time frame, and the movie totally gleams over it. I love the movie for what it is, but the comics just hit so much harder. Excited to see how the anime turns out.
Gonna watch the whole video before I say anything about it specifically, but as someone who is really conflicted about the Scott Pilgrim movie, this is something I've thought about a lot. So I wonder why my knee-jerk reaction was to say "Of course! Scott Pilgrim is an excellent movie, I disagree with this guy." Even though several times I've thought to myself that the comics are much better and the movie is harmed by adapting certain moments Verbatim.
REMEMBER The movie was written after the first book, there are very little similarities after VOL 2 for that reason. After that the books are slightly working off the movie so you may see a few similar scenes in the book for that reason
Good video. I'm only half-way through, but I had to comment on something: I can ONLY make sense of someone who believes themselves to be awesome when that someone is a very insecure person. One just doesn't exist without the other. No insecurities = no need to build this fake self around yourself.
I always felt like movie Scott should have ended with them all going their separate ways and the lesson being that if it starts with hurting people it's best to just start over. And durring the credits because they resolved things when they are pulled into supe ex battles they just meet the new partner amicably
This was excellent. I was a fan of the comics and viscerally remember leaving the theater impressed but unsatisfied. Your essay worked through that dissatisfaction much better than I ever did.
perfect video essay for scott pilgrim lovers!! i had no idea that the movie script was being written during book 2. super cool to learn that the movie and books had such an impact on each other in tandem
Год назад+21
I have neither seen the film not read the comics, but I watched all of this. Top notch work, James, as always.
By chapter six I was really impressed. You hit the nail on the head several times here. Nice! With stuff like this I sometimes wonder whether authors kind of just forget why their work.. well, works. Or it eludes them entirely when they try to nail it down rationally. Why the specific parts work well together to form a coherent whole. Why some parts are necessary and some aren't. It's not just this of course. Maybe this is a part of what makes writing special. Maybe the genius that comes out of the creative process has some accidental quality to it, something more than the sum of it's parts that you might not be able to recreate. That said, O'Malley still had it in him after Scott Pilgrim. I love "Seconds". I wish it got it's own anime adaption.
I very much like the movie though I like most of Edgar Wright films but the comic is very much better and I hope the new animated show will be able to tell the comic’s story well
with scott pilgrim takes off, I am convinced Old Scott is the Movie Scott who didn't learn his faults in relationships from NegaScott and just kept on with them with Ramona
I think the thing I liked about the comic that never translated to screen was just how much the indie rock scene and Toronto felt like a character in its own right. I felt like the movie was really missing the groundedness in time and place that felt present in the comics.
This sounds like how 2001 a Space Odyssey and it's novelization were made simultaneously, except in that case the book actually explained wtf was going on.
Its kinda implies Stephens breaks up with his toxic boyfriend and slinks back to julie based on their cameo in Seconds. The ending criticisms i dont agree with. Scott and ramona got back together to give their relationship started for the wrong reasons another chance by starting it for the right reasons. Thats why he earns self respect, because he stopped indulging in the nonsense of fighting simply for love. Knives also learns self respect by rejecting scott at the end. The nega scott gag people cry about is annoying because its obvious what its saying. Scott has accepted his inner demons so he doesn't need to fight nega scott. Its a added layer to the points on his character arc in the film. The video almost had it, till you ragged on the ending for book reasons like everyone does and its annoying because its not evening like the films hiding what its saying at the end. All relationships are messy and we get that idea through out the film, we dont actually need to see scotts entire history with her to understand the significance of scott calling her Nat.
I didn't criticise the ending. I pointed out it is the opposite conclusion of the comic and said the film does a game job of making it work. My criticism was the film that precedes it absorbs too much else from the comic's narrative to adequately build to that conclusion. The same is true of Envy. It builds to her introduction in the same way the comic does, even though she doesn't have the same narrative weight as in the comics. I'm not saying she *needs* to have the same weight, I'm saying she needs to be treated with the importance she actually has.
I think this will definitely resonate with OG fans of the graphic novel if anything. I definitely do enjoy the film but I can't deny there was a lot sacrificed due to the film formatting (also some interesting casting choices)
havent read the manga but the film is easily one of my favourite (took me years to realize), the sfx/cgi held up incredibly well. i also live in Toronto so its easy to love.
now that i cant unsee the trans flag on ramonas jacket, im kinda surprised that i havent seen anyone frame ramonas freedom from gideon and finding a new identity in a different country as a trans narrative. especially with the neck device when she goes back to her 'previous' life as a parallel to going back in the closet when visiting ones 'old life' also sad they didnt gay up steven, although the polyamory kinda makes up for it 🙃
After watching Scott Pilgrim the first time I was conflicted on it due to some of the story flaws it possesses. I had never read the comics but I could see the arcs not fully satisfying me. However, upon countless rewatches, the sheer technical aspects of the film make it my all time favorite. The level of detail in every aspect, the comedy, cinematography, editing, vfx, sound design, all of it is so meticulously crafted for maximum stylization and that dedication to style makes it so enjoyable as every time you watch it, you notice something new. That’s the mark of a filmmaking team who truly cares about their work and a movie with limitless heart and creativity.
30:20 "Massive insecurites don't sound like someone who believes he is awesome" Ohhhh boy this is wrong. Anyway, interesting video, still get minus 5 points for adding "Bad" to the title just for clickbait.
21:41 - that kind of quality animation and research coming from a channel this size is easily worth a sub alone. Not to mention doing a deep dive into one of my favourite films ever. Stunning work, can’t wait to see more content from you!
To me, I think what ties movie Scott's insecurities to relationships and also the contradiction that he's way cooler than he thinks is that he's the kind of nerd who thinks he's too big of a victim to be a bully. He may not be slick, but he's the plucky underdog, and there's a cool factor with that as well He puts up a front that he's cooler than he really is, but deep down sees himself as the socially awkward geek that people never give a chance and all merely gang up on that he can't see the fact that he's hurting people. He hurt Knives because he didn't have a backbone to realize dating a high schooler is fucking weird and rather than immediately ending things with her before vying for Ramona he waffled in self pity that he had to go through it. So by finally gaining self-respect he also accepts that he has the capacity to be a prick and he's not just some waifish nerd.
REMEMBER The movie was written after the first book, there are very little similarities after VOL 2 for that reason. After that the books are slightly working off the movie so you may see a few similar scenes in the book for that reason.
Slightly unrelated, but i think that a big part of why scott works as a protagonist is *because* hes relatable. Hes a sensitive person who is so afraid of confronting his past that he's willing to live life fully ignorant to all the wrong he's done and all the hurt he's caused in his life, even if unintentionally. You can see that really deep down he's not a terrible asshole, and that he's just too afraid to do anything to change his behavior after some bad events that happened in his most formative years (at least thats how i see it). I feel like everyone learns this lesson at one point or another, and often times this is a lesson learned during your teenage/early 20's. Scott learning to accept that his past doesnt have to affect his present is a lesson i think is very important and relatable to so many people (me included). It just sucks that you cant say that you actually like the character of scott pilgrim because all of the people who say they relate to him because theyre just media illiterate lmao
the flanderisation of the characters, skipping thru huge storylines, trying to speedrun the main story, IGNORING THE IMPORTANCE AND METAPHORICAL VALUE OF SUBSPACE, and ofc the lack of the scene where Scott and NegaScott reflect on their relationship w Ramona and embrace eachother, with the beautiful messege of moving on and accepting your past, yeah the movie is just a boiled down fun rollercoaster that while enjoyable, misses the greatness of what made the original storytelling great
I just read the series a few days ago, and I was looking for a good video that analyzed the themes and compared them with the movie, and this is just perfect! I tried to watch a couple videos before this, but they were just awful, and this is a breath of fresh air
At no point in the film did I ever think “Scott is awesome” or that that’s what the film was about. Scott is not awesome. He’s not a good person. His character arc isn’t about overcoming insecurities, it’s about just being a better person than he has been. Low stakes visualized with high stakes. His insecurities are there to give meaning to his bad behavior, but I do not think the film is about him overcoming them entirely.
Great video! I can't overstate how important Scott Pilgrim felt to me as a dorky 19 year old when it was in its heyday, and the movie only seems to get better (and worse??) over time with each rewatch. It prioritizes lines of the comic without any context. the backstage scene where Knives' highlights get punched out is the best microcosm. it makes zero sense, it's just a funny "thing" from the comic. stuck in the adaptation, as you explained.
I was waiting for the point where the other shoe would drop and you'd bring up that the latter bits of the comic and the film were being made at the same time, and I was not disappointed.
I think what you’re missing with “massive insecurities? that doesnt sound like someone who *believes* he’s awesome” is that people, can be and are complicatedly and contradictingly multifaceted. For example, I really and truly believe that I’m a 10/10 stunner with no imperfections while simultaneously having MASIVE insecurities pertaining to my appearance.
I like the movie in a style and fun way. But that comic is one of those artworks that changes you. It was a story not often being told. As a person of Scott's age It was so real.
There is another adaptation that needs to be brought up: Scott Pilgrim Versus the World: the Video Game. It also has a messy adaptation of the plot of a somewhat strange mix of both of the movie and the comics, but it REALLY deviates at the end, with Scott defeating NegaScott, learning nothing and becoming the biggest jerk in the world. This all said, I still love the comics, I love the movie, I love the video game. I don't have to agree with where the story ends to enjoy the ride.
Scott Pilgrim I think is one of the most interesting pieces of media ever. It truly is the definition of Transmedia as it uses every medium so expertly to craft its story and world. And I’ve always been fascinated by how its one of the only times that the source material and movie are so similar, yet so different, yet both have such strong cult followings, even tho there’s little overlap in those groups. I’ll be curious if the upcoming anime brings together both sides of the fandom so to speak. It has the 13 years of hindsight on how the movie and comic ended along with the runtime, budget, etc to do whatever Wright and O’Malley want. Its not often you get to tell one story three times so it will certainly be fascinating what direction they take. And the fact that they brought back the ENTIRE cast, many of which are highly sought after A-listers shows you just how special that movie (and the comic) were. Personally I love both faults and all so I’m excited to see what the anime brings to the table
I had interviewed Bryan Lee O'Malley the day the film was first announced. At that point Wright was still attached to Ant-Man, so we would have had to wait a lot longer for the film to start production. I loved hearing more about the writing process behind the books and the movie, being written in parallel. Thanks!
The more I listen to this video, the more I don't think the movie fails or succeeds in recreating the comics. Rather give the ying yang involvement of the author and how that potentially affected the ending and major scenes in the comics, it looks like a parallel development. I am reminded of reading the foreword of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where the author Douglas Adams talks about the parallel nature of the development of his books, the radio play and the BBC TV show. In the end, when pressed he doesn't consider any to be a primary source, rather each is a unique retelling of the same story with each cutting or adding elements not present in the others and highlighting the strengths of each medium. I am unaware of Bryan O'Malley's thoughts on the subject but I would consider he may have a similar feeling. Plus we now have an anime that will tell the story again in a different way and once again gives us another version of the same story.
Haha! I don't think of Scott Pilgrim as a musical ok but i can't even argue. Nega Scott was a let-down, maybe that's the joke. Never read the comics. Love the movie. 💔
I've always felt Cera Scott only ever captured part of Comics Scott and, while I do personally enjoy Cera's performances usually, I always found it lacking in a way I didn't have the words for. You've summed up that side of things beautifully and touched on more things here than I'd personally thought about. What I'm saying is this is a great video and I'm happy to subscribe due to it! :D
Thank you very much for this essay. I was living in Toronto - where the comic and movie are based (and filmed!) - at the peak of the Scott Pilgrim craze. I saw the movie in a Toronto theater (we cheered at every reference). I've said for years that I love both the comic and the movie equally, but for different reasons. The movie truncates the comic's narrative, but I like how it focuses a little more on the "battle of the bands" aspect. I'm disappointed we didn't get the Honest Ed's fight, but we got the fun bass battle as a finale with Todd, instead. We lost the fun robot fight and gained a fun battle of the bands with the twins. The focus on the battle of the bands doesn't quite resolve itself in the end, but it keeps the narrative tighter as a result. After watching this, I agree that the movie is maybe adapts too closely with the comic without its own thing to say. I think people saying it's style over substance is reductive, but there's a grain of truth in there. I didn't know the script was being written in conjunction with the majority of the book's publishing history. I thought it mostly came together before the final book came out. But that makes this adaptation all the more interesting. I still love both works, but I will say you made me appreciate the comic a little more. I haven't honestly read it since the final book came out. Maybe it's time I revisit it.
I think you're creating a false dichotomy between a story about an insecure person learning self-respect, and an egotistical person learning that he's being shitty to other people. Both versions of the story about a person why is egotistical BECAUSE he's insecure, and he learns that he's being a shitty person, but he doesn't HAVE to be.
Hey, James! Love this video, and all your other videos! Speaking of adaptations, would you ever want to do a video on adaptation and, say, The Princess Bride or The Last Unicorn or Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women?
I do love the movie it was my favorite movie for years I related so much to Scott and really got the lesson when I was 16 now I’m 22 and I can say I haven’t watched it in years but I definitely do think about it and I think taht makes a good movie
I feel like this entire video is a good example of how a binary system (with human input) just doesn’t work that well, because the second something diverts from that path whatsoever, a debate begins between whether they’re this or that. And that’s why we need to see things alike to this as a spectrum, rather than a binary, because binaries are just too strict and don’t allow for full expression of one’s selves ideas or feelings, if we actually followed that binary. The abstraction of following that path of the binary and going off course (like scott pilgrim did), shows us that we don’t have to stick to the binary to be absolutely amazing. And yes, I did just make this video into a LGBTQ+ allegory.
![NOSFERATU - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters December 25](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nulvWqYUM8k/mqdefault.jpg)
Without knowing what Negascott was from the comics, there was an added lightbulb moment joke to him being really nice because Negascott read as simple evil twin, but since Scott is actually the evil twin obviously Negascott has to be a nice guy
Yeah. To me, the reference was obvious. I don't think the "gag" was souch a bad take.
My take is similar but different - that Scott's neither good nor evil, but somewhere in between - the same flaws that killed his past relationships also kept him as friends with his exes. So naturally, his reflection is also in-between, presumably with opposite flaws, but also a shade of grey.
Bro was so toxic he created an evil twin
i had a similar take when I watched the movie. I haven't read the comics yet but I was surprised when I found out what negascott's purpose was in the comics
Honestly, loved that gag. I've seen the 'evil doppelganger' trope enough times. First time I've seen it go this route.
My biggest complaint against the movie is how they just made Ramona depressed the whole time. In the comics, her relationship with Scott is actually really wholesome and cute despite the obvious flaws.
Same with Scott in a different sort of way. In the comics, he is basically if luffy was a 20 something year old Canadian, in the sense that his stupidity made him somewhat lovable, whereas in the movie he is just Michael cera being Michael cera. I hope they make this change in the anime.
I think a big part of Ramona's character in the movie was because the movie's script (besides the ending, which they reshot) was finished before Volume 4 of the comics even released.
Unfortunately, their relationship mostly starts to get into the cute stuff near the end of Volume 3 (correct me if I'm wrong).
That's also why we mostly get content from volumes 1-3, *briefly* skim through four with Roxy (even then, her fight is adapted from both Volume 3's Envy vs. Ramona and the bonus story from Free Comic Book Day 2006) and Volume 5 *technically* has a presence in the movie because the Twins are in it. The only things from Volume 6 that show up are Gideon, the Chaos Theatre, and Scott's death (which was foreshadowed all the way back in Volume 2!).
@@nrnehigie7382Naaahh... Scott is an asshole and a through and through loser.
Luffy is actually really positive and is pretty emotionally intelligent.
Just look at him antagonizing Coby infront of Marines; So that Coby could join the marines and follow his dreams.
There's also his boundless goodness. When faced with an ultimatum of get the a ship/ride to meet his friends or saving people that defended him; Without hesitation he answers for his benefactors to be saved, even lowering his head to the floor while smiling.
@@nrnehigie7382Michael Cera is very Canadian though... How you said that sentence baffles me.
@@nrnehigie7382 I never read the comics, but from the video it feels like a lovable himbo, that unintentionally hurts people by his lack of self-awareness...
As someone who lives in Toronto, this isn't an adaptation.
It's a documentary of how life is up here.
You guys have videogame-like fights?
I'm packing my bags.
@@sombraelerizoyes we do
Bass players in indie rock bands will try to punch you in the face for claiming that there's nothing fun to do.
@@AdamG1983as a bassist from Toronto this is true
@@sombraelerizo yea Toronto is wild man. like it's crazy and also there's always someone who knows everyone.
The funny thing is, I interpreted Scott’s relationship with Knives in the movie as Scott always needing someone to tell him he’s awesome because he doesn’t actually believe it.
Eeeeh in the comics they f*** the moment she becomes 18. And Scott, heartbroken as he was, should've done better.
@@falconeshield No they dont? Scott suggests it, but they never go through with it, because it feels wrong for both of them.
@@falconeshield They don't. Upon learning she's 18, Scott suggests, "Do you want to have sex? I think we should have sex. CASUAL SEX." (with an arrow previously having pointed to him as "Sketchy-ass 24 year-old"), followed by Knives turning him down, explaining that she has moved on from him and how she is "trying to learn to like me. Alone", then says, "...It's cool if we just make out for a while", and they stop immediately after they begin to do that, with the narrator saying, "BUT IT WAS HORRIBLE FOR EVERYONE (and that includes you)".
@@thirdcoinedge You a real one for this. I would've had to type it if you hadn't done so. Cheers.
@@BloodyMunchkin You're welcome :) I just bought the rest of the series a few weeks ago (I've had the first two volumes since 2021). Probably my second favorite comic book series, behind The Sandman.
I just always got the feeling that Comic Scott, while a lame nerd, was never the degree of lame nerd that Michael Cera portrayed. I think comic Scott was a little more indie and confident than Michael cera displays throughout the movie
Def
yeah i mean michael cera is great and it works but it would make more sense that scott wasnt that nerdy
Cera isnt a dick, hes a slimeball. Scotts both
Comic Scott is FAR closer to Philip J. Fry than George Michael Bluth. Both are "lame", but obviously distinct from each other, and have different talent pools you should be thinking of in regard to remake casting? Comic Scott probably HAS an "All Rush Mixtape". Movie Scott probably doesn't.
@@Volvagia1927what do you mean? I’m struggling to understand the meaning of your comment beyond “comic better” it’s sounds like that but in a verbose way.
I think a really important thing about Scott's character in the comics, that I didn't really understand fully until a reread, is that he's not JUST an idiot. He's a willful idiot. He's an idiot as a defense mechanism, because he can't be held accountable for or feel guilty about the things that he does if he's too stupid to understand them. I mean he's genuinely stupid too, like he was always gonna be an idiot, but he's perpetually content to avoid learning things or paying attention to the world around him for the same reason he represses and rewrites his memories of all the shitty things he's done to his previous partners.
It's one of the wrinkles that makes Scott Pilgrim and interesting comic to think about and I hope we get some exploration of that in the upcoming anime's take on the story.
weaponised incompetence
yea he is super avoidant of all his behaviour and problems its rlly interesting especially knowing a lot about therapy/human behaviour because when he starts to realize his mistakes he shuts down and blocks out the world constantly which is rlly damaging to the immune system and most likely perpetuates his idiocy, lack of awareness, and memory loss, as by that point he's basically numb to life. I love seeing characters that mimic really common human behaviours because its surprisingly not often shown as in media characters always seem to be about facing their problems
You can tell, however, that a small part of him WANTS to be better. I feel like he's just waiting for someone else to guide him in the right direction since he thinks he's doing great and everyone else is like "No you aren't. Fix yourself, dumbass." It's like he's silently asking life "What do you want from me?!" Aren't we all like that in some form?
Yeah about the anime
@@jskywalker58 oh I loved the anime, it was its own completely different thing I didn't know I wanted but a story primarily focused on Ramona confronting and reconciling with her past relationships was in fact something I wanted
Fun fact: Brian Lee O'Malley has stated that every different media piece of Scott Pilgrim (Book, movie, Netflix series) is actually an alternate timeline.
Takes Off really proved that with Old Scott and Even Older Scott, which was really smart
Scott realising all his friends moving on and Scott eventually realising his memories are wrong and him getting a job is the thing that the movies are missing to its detriment for me. It really makes "Scott earned the power of self respect" mean alot more and not having it without that makes it feel unearned in the movie. The journey of self improvement is just absent in the movie.
At least we’re getting the new animated series, hopefully they’ll keep that in
To be fair like it was stated in the video the movie was made while the comic (I like to think of it as manga😊) was still ongoing, just like many Mangas that get turned into anime and finish while the manga is still ongoing.
I mean that kinda happens in the movie, Scott loses his place in the band and all his friends are fine with leaving him behind to pursue their music careers
@@khiclark31 IIRC the final volume hadn't even been started yet by the time the movie came out, which led to some interesting revisions (for instance, that page of Scott lying in a pitch-black background with an arrow pointing to him reading "DEAD"? Yeah, that only happened _because_ O'Malley saw it in the movie and liked the visual!)
I don't think you need to be employed to have self-respect.
The big thing I noticed last time I consumed Scott Pilgrim was the difference between Scott's exes and Ramona's exes - where Ramona's exes all need to be defeated in order to deal with them, Scott's exes are all either already chill, or are talked down - the movie even ends with Knives literally telling Scott to go with Ramona, in direct contrast to Ramona's exes insisting she can't date anyone but them.
I feel like that says something about Scott and Ramona, but I'm not sure what...
ramona's exes aren't "insisting she can't date anyone but them", they just don't want anyone to date her because of how she hurt them
@@jonesblack1742 Gideon seems pretty keen on getting her back (and "not dating anyone" includes not dating anyone who isn't them).
@@rmsgrey yeah, thats true, but i think the rest of the exes had the aforementioned goal in mind but were just manipulated by gideon
@@jonesblack1742Yea, Ramona and Scott are both fuck ups; Scott we already know how much of a loser he is, Ramona is someone that just goes whataver (And ditches whenever things spiral out of hand for her).
Really wished the film, touched on that a bit more.
I think its cause scott is such a fucked up loser, that people (his exes especially) are ok with getting rid of him, while ramona is constantly adored and sought after, even by the exes that she got rid of lifetimes ago.
For me personally, why I love this movie and why it deeply resonates with me, is because I don't see movie Scott's problem as that he's simply insecure. Instead I see movie Scott as someone who is deeply narcissisticaly insecure, he's so caught up in his own head about his own insecurities that his world fails to see the feelings and thoughts of others. His Journey to self respect is what allows him to get over himself and grow up and finally start considering what's best for people other than himself.
this is literally my fav live action movie
As opposed to figuratively your favorite live action movie?
Imo, the most perfect movie ever made.
I assume u mean fav live action comic book adaptation
@@MarkFilipAnthony not really, as an adaption its good but I like to think of it as its own thing.
@@ONEPEAKFRFR so of all live action films that has evet been made, this is your favorite?
What I liked about Cera’s performance is how he captured the “nice” guy. He plays the victim given the opportunity and with a little power he’s manipulative. At the end of the film Scott has learned to be honest about his feeling and realizes how he has hurt people. That’s why nega Scott is a joke since the the painful part of that growth already occurred.
Very good discussion. I don't care how true to the original the adaptation is, as I never read the comics. I only care if it works as a movie - and it does to me. I love it. That said, it's not perfect. I was mostly frustrated with the ending because Scott fighting Gideon is not a culmination of his arc - it should be Ramona's arc. She's the one who needs to break free of him. Scott should have fought with Nega-Scott, and it should not be about overcoming his insecurities, but him realising he uses his insecurities as a way to manipulate and not take responsibility for how he hurts people. While he sort of learned that lesson, it was not effectively managed. I tend to be a bit more critical wince Wright's Cornetto trilogy is so perfect in setting up and paying off. But it was revealing that he had to work with a story that was not finished when they started on the script. Explains a lot.
In the surface reading of the movie, Gideon is absolutely appropriate as the final boss. Scott is (fake-)dating a high school girl until he meets Ramona and wants to date her, but she reveals that to get together, he needs to defeat her seven evil exes, so he fights his way through all seven, and they end up together. He got a quest, did the quest, and got the reward.
Of course, when you dig deeper, yeah, it's all about Ramona - her exes, her potentially dating Scott, her tendency to ghost people... Scott's just there to let Ramona deal with her past.
Yea comics the endings much better
Its funny this came out two days before the faithful adaptation on netflix was shown off, which looks amazing!
Bryan Lee O'Malley already said the series is going to be totally its own thing. The books are the books.
@@josepablodeleon6073 Yes but in the same way the movie is its own thing. You can see in the trailer that they recreated various parts of the movie and comic so it's a retelling but with a few things changed around.
lol
This aged like milk
guess what
You make so mutch quality content even while being on 45k. Keep going, your videos always brighten my day.
i like that both the comics and movie are different because it gives each one it’s own special value to going back to
I can’t help but wonder if the movie had the self respect ‘message’ , it would have been better off having a “Scott ends up not picking anyone” ending because of what the film was attempting to do and it would have a different ending from the comic, In a way leading up to learning about dealing with his insecurities and not needing a relationship ect ect
i just dont think thats the actual message in the first place, while the comic asks scott to stop being ignorant, the movie almost does the same thing, just asking him to stop being self-aware without working to change. thats what i think anyways, just dont see what about the movie screams that the theme is self confidence
So much of this echoes how I've felt about the movie forever - i read the comics *after* I saw the movie, and I love both of them for completely different reasons. The movie is a tour de force action movie about some likeable jerks, and the comic is a deep dive into why these likeable jerks are the way they are. The comics blow the movie out of the water, but not because the movie is bad; they're just that much *better*.
I will stand by the scene where Scott jumps out of the window behind Wallace as he closes the door as one of most well written and timed physical comedy scenes of all time. The pace of the film gives you 0 seconds to process the joke so it just gets stepped over by the next scene.
that is one of my fav scenes in any movie ever, always gets a laugh out of me even after seeing it hundreds of times 😹
Thank you for willing the anime's trailer into existence, we all know it would only drop after you released your video
I actually like the fact that there was an intent to show that Scott DOES have insecurities. Typically, people(men) who cheat on their partners and treat everyone around them like crap tend to behave this way BECAUSE it stems from insecurities or even unresolved trauma.
Though Scott is shown to be more cool in the comics, making him more human for a LIVE action movie was a smart and , imo cute decision. It's cute to see the types of things guys get self conscious about(needing a haircut, too confident girlfriends etc) and how it plays into their actions.
Totally forgot that Scott Pilgrim is like Revolutionary Girl Utena but with video games
that so? ive always wanted to get into rtu and i love scott pilgrim so id like to know the similarities
RUclips just now decided to put this video on my feed even though I'm subscribed and I immediately clicked on it. This is such an incredible video. The process of adapting a work into a new medium is so interesting (I took a whole class on it during my first year of college!) and you do such a good job discussing Scott Pilgrim's unique place in that world. All of your videos have such an obvious high level of thought and work put into them. This one is so good!! Keep up the amazing work! Love your videos :)
Scott Pilgrim has been my favorite movie for a while, but I see more and more of its problems the more time goes, even though it doesn’t change anything to me. I think in some ways it’s better than the comic as it’s more contained and Edgar Wright is so precise in his projects, and in other ways the comic - because it goes further and deeper - is more interesting. I can’t wait to see what you have to say.
I’m so glad this video exists! So many people seem to only take in the superficial similarities between the comics and movie and that’s left me feeling rather bitter towards the movie. But hearing more background and in-depth analysis of why it turned out this way (and the narrative failings that come with it) has me honestly feeling a lot more positively about it!
Thank you for bringing me up the books not being finished. A lot of discussions about Scott Pilgrim tend to forget or ignore the comic wasn’t fully adapted.
You're one of the best essayists out there. Everything you've made is really good and way more people should be subscribed to you.
James- this is fucking phenomenal
The main thing about the movie is that the movie does it's style so well that it only needs the most basic of okay plots to be good, and having watched the movie first, I think it did a great job. There is just enough character growth to say there is arcs, and I think that's fine.
I think sometimes stories just work while breaking some or even all of the writing rules. Our lives are more chaotic piles of events rather then some well designed character arcs, so a movie can also be that. Scott Pilgrim movie is one of those, where not everything has meaning and even make sense, but you just feel something while watching it and that’s satisfying
I hope the anime is able to adapt those smaller moments in the comic that the movie didnt have time to cover. Especially Scott's depression arc, after Ramona leaves him. I feel like so much of his character development happens during that small time frame, and the movie totally gleams over it.
I love the movie for what it is, but the comics just hit so much harder. Excited to see how the anime turns out.
Gonna watch the whole video before I say anything about it specifically, but as someone who is really conflicted about the Scott Pilgrim movie, this is something I've thought about a lot. So I wonder why my knee-jerk reaction was to say "Of course! Scott Pilgrim is an excellent movie, I disagree with this guy." Even though several times I've thought to myself that the comics are much better and the movie is harmed by adapting certain moments Verbatim.
REMEMBER The movie was written after the first book, there are very little similarities after VOL 2 for that reason. After that the books are slightly working off the movie so you may see a few similar scenes in the book for that reason
Good video. I'm only half-way through, but I had to comment on something: I can ONLY make sense of someone who believes themselves to be awesome when that someone is a very insecure person. One just doesn't exist without the other. No insecurities = no need to build this fake self around yourself.
a great example of the movie being just too short is the backstories of all the exes and ramona is cut after the todd fight
I always felt like movie Scott should have ended with them all going their separate ways and the lesson being that if it starts with hurting people it's best to just start over. And durring the credits because they resolved things when they are pulled into supe ex battles they just meet the new partner amicably
This was excellent. I was a fan of the comics and viscerally remember leaving the theater impressed but unsatisfied. Your essay worked through that dissatisfaction much better than I ever did.
Great video. Didn't think about how different the adaptation was compared to the comic.
It's just insane that they got Everyone for the Netflix show
perfect video essay for scott pilgrim lovers!! i had no idea that the movie script was being written during book 2. super cool to learn that the movie and books had such an impact on each other in tandem
I have neither seen the film not read the comics, but I watched all of this. Top notch work, James, as always.
By chapter six I was really impressed. You hit the nail on the head several times here. Nice!
With stuff like this I sometimes wonder whether authors kind of just forget why their work.. well, works. Or it eludes them entirely when they try to nail it down rationally. Why the specific parts work well together to form a coherent whole. Why some parts are necessary and some aren't. It's not just this of course.
Maybe this is a part of what makes writing special. Maybe the genius that comes out of the creative process has some accidental quality to it, something more than the sum of it's parts that you might not be able to recreate.
That said, O'Malley still had it in him after Scott Pilgrim. I love "Seconds". I wish it got it's own anime adaption.
As a psychologist I can tell you that someone who believes he's awesome can have massive insecurities, that's why creates a big ego
I very much like the movie though I like most of Edgar Wright films but the comic is very much better and I hope the new animated show will be able to tell the comic’s story well
with scott pilgrim takes off, I am convinced Old Scott is the Movie Scott who didn't learn his faults in relationships from NegaScott and just kept on with them with Ramona
I lesbian you too, man
I think the thing I liked about the comic that never translated to screen was just how much the indie rock scene and Toronto felt like a character in its own right. I felt like the movie was really missing the groundedness in time and place that felt present in the comics.
I really love the animations in this video. Gotta Love it when a creator goes the extra mile
It’s funny this movie is pretty old but it’s doing some things we seeing like spider verse 😂
This sounds like how 2001 a Space Odyssey and it's novelization were made simultaneously, except in that case the book actually explained wtf was going on.
Its kinda implies Stephens breaks up with his toxic boyfriend and slinks back to julie based on their cameo in Seconds.
The ending criticisms i dont agree with. Scott and ramona got back together to give their relationship started for the wrong reasons another chance by starting it for the right reasons. Thats why he earns self respect, because he stopped indulging in the nonsense of fighting simply for love. Knives also learns self respect by rejecting scott at the end. The nega scott gag people cry about is annoying because its obvious what its saying. Scott has accepted his inner demons so he doesn't need to fight nega scott. Its a added layer to the points on his character arc in the film. The video almost had it, till you ragged on the ending for book reasons like everyone does and its annoying because its not evening like the films hiding what its saying at the end.
All relationships are messy and we get that idea through out the film, we dont actually need to see scotts entire history with her to understand the significance of scott calling her Nat.
I didn't criticise the ending. I pointed out it is the opposite conclusion of the comic and said the film does a game job of making it work. My criticism was the film that precedes it absorbs too much else from the comic's narrative to adequately build to that conclusion.
The same is true of Envy. It builds to her introduction in the same way the comic does, even though she doesn't have the same narrative weight as in the comics. I'm not saying she *needs* to have the same weight, I'm saying she needs to be treated with the importance she actually has.
I think this will definitely resonate with OG fans of the graphic novel if anything. I definitely do enjoy the film but I can't deny there was a lot sacrificed due to the film formatting (also some interesting casting choices)
havent read the manga but the film is easily one of my favourite (took me years to realize), the sfx/cgi held up incredibly well. i also live in Toronto so its easy to love.
Absolutely people who think they are awesome have massive insecurities! Two sides of the same narcissistic coin
now that i cant unsee the trans flag on ramonas jacket, im kinda surprised that i havent seen anyone frame ramonas freedom from gideon and finding a new identity in a different country as a trans narrative. especially with the neck device when she goes back to her 'previous' life as a parallel to going back in the closet when visiting ones 'old life'
also sad they didnt gay up steven, although the polyamory kinda makes up for it 🙃
Bad? Bad?! Are you ok? Do you feel well?
After watching Scott Pilgrim the first time I was conflicted on it due to some of the story flaws it possesses. I had never read the comics but I could see the arcs not fully satisfying me. However, upon countless rewatches, the sheer technical aspects of the film make it my all time favorite. The level of detail in every aspect, the comedy, cinematography, editing, vfx, sound design, all of it is so meticulously crafted for maximum stylization and that dedication to style makes it so enjoyable as every time you watch it, you notice something new. That’s the mark of a filmmaking team who truly cares about their work and a movie with limitless heart and creativity.
Where'd you get that backdrop???
I have a full page from the fourth comic tattooed on my arm! It’s the Clash of Demonhead performing. It’s absolutely my favourite tattoo that I have
30:20 "Massive insecurites don't sound like someone who believes he is awesome"
Ohhhh boy this is wrong.
Anyway, interesting video, still get minus 5 points for adding "Bad" to the title just for clickbait.
21:41 - that kind of quality animation and research coming from a channel this size is easily worth a sub alone. Not to mention doing a deep dive into one of my favourite films ever. Stunning work, can’t wait to see more content from you!
To me, I think what ties movie Scott's insecurities to relationships and also the contradiction that he's way cooler than he thinks is that he's the kind of nerd who thinks he's too big of a victim to be a bully. He may not be slick, but he's the plucky underdog, and there's a cool factor with that as well He puts up a front that he's cooler than he really is, but deep down sees himself as the socially awkward geek that people never give a chance and all merely gang up on that he can't see the fact that he's hurting people. He hurt Knives because he didn't have a backbone to realize dating a high schooler is fucking weird and rather than immediately ending things with her before vying for Ramona he waffled in self pity that he had to go through it.
So by finally gaining self-respect he also accepts that he has the capacity to be a prick and he's not just some waifish nerd.
REMEMBER The movie was written after the first book, there are very little similarities after VOL 2 for that reason. After that the books are slightly working off the movie so you may see a few similar scenes in the book for that reason.
"BREAD MAKES YOU FAT ?!!" XDDD
Slightly unrelated, but i think that a big part of why scott works as a protagonist is *because* hes relatable.
Hes a sensitive person who is so afraid of confronting his past that he's willing to live life fully ignorant to all the wrong he's done and all the hurt he's caused in his life, even if unintentionally. You can see that really deep down he's not a terrible asshole, and that he's just too afraid to do anything to change his behavior after some bad events that happened in his most formative years (at least thats how i see it). I feel like everyone learns this lesson at one point or another, and often times this is a lesson learned during your teenage/early 20's. Scott learning to accept that his past doesnt have to affect his present is a lesson i think is very important and relatable to so many people (me included).
It just sucks that you cant say that you actually like the character of scott pilgrim because all of the people who say they relate to him because theyre just media illiterate lmao
the flanderisation of the characters, skipping thru huge storylines, trying to speedrun the main story, IGNORING THE IMPORTANCE AND METAPHORICAL VALUE OF SUBSPACE, and ofc the lack of the scene where Scott and NegaScott reflect on their relationship w Ramona and embrace eachother, with the beautiful messege of moving on and accepting your past,
yeah the movie is just a boiled down fun rollercoaster that while enjoyable, misses the greatness of what made the original storytelling great
I just read the series a few days ago, and I was looking for a good video that analyzed the themes and compared them with the movie, and this is just perfect! I tried to watch a couple videos before this, but they were just awful, and this is a breath of fresh air
Kudos on the production of this one, it's incredibly polished.
At no point in the film did I ever think “Scott is awesome” or that that’s what the film was about. Scott is not awesome. He’s not a good person. His character arc isn’t about overcoming insecurities, it’s about just being a better person than he has been. Low stakes visualized with high stakes. His insecurities are there to give meaning to his bad behavior, but I do not think the film is about him overcoming them entirely.
Great video! I can't overstate how important Scott Pilgrim felt to me as a dorky 19 year old when it was in its heyday, and the movie only seems to get better (and worse??) over time with each rewatch. It prioritizes lines of the comic without any context. the backstage scene where Knives' highlights get punched out is the best microcosm. it makes zero sense, it's just a funny "thing" from the comic. stuck in the adaptation, as you explained.
Uh actually it’s a pretty good movie
I was waiting for the point where the other shoe would drop and you'd bring up that the latter bits of the comic and the film were being made at the same time, and I was not disappointed.
I think what you’re missing with “massive insecurities? that doesnt sound like someone who *believes* he’s awesome” is that people, can be and are complicatedly and contradictingly multifaceted. For example, I really and truly believe that I’m a 10/10 stunner with no imperfections while simultaneously having MASIVE insecurities pertaining to my appearance.
I like the movie in a style and fun way. But that comic is one of those artworks that changes you. It was a story not often being told. As a person of Scott's age It was so real.
I feel so represented in this story that your analysis truly felt like a therapy session
Literally rereading the comic atm since its been a few years and man its still great. That being said also LOVE the movie
I’ve never read the comic, but the movie is a serious contender for my favorite movie of all time
There is another adaptation that needs to be brought up: Scott Pilgrim Versus the World: the Video Game. It also has a messy adaptation of the plot of a somewhat strange mix of both of the movie and the comics, but it REALLY deviates at the end, with Scott defeating NegaScott, learning nothing and becoming the biggest jerk in the world.
This all said, I still love the comics, I love the movie, I love the video game. I don't have to agree with where the story ends to enjoy the ride.
Oh and the recent Netflix anime
So what did you think about the anime?
@@Conrad500 I enjoyed it a lot
My problem Is with 2 charecters getting the shaft, that are knives chau and the Twins.
The twins got less screen time and knvies got royal screw
Scott Pilgrim I think is one of the most interesting pieces of media ever. It truly is the definition of Transmedia as it uses every medium so expertly to craft its story and world. And I’ve always been fascinated by how its one of the only times that the source material and movie are so similar, yet so different, yet both have such strong cult followings, even tho there’s little overlap in those groups. I’ll be curious if the upcoming anime brings together both sides of the fandom so to speak. It has the 13 years of hindsight on how the movie and comic ended along with the runtime, budget, etc to do whatever Wright and O’Malley want. Its not often you get to tell one story three times so it will certainly be fascinating what direction they take. And the fact that they brought back the ENTIRE cast, many of which are highly sought after A-listers shows you just how special that movie (and the comic) were. Personally I love both faults and all so I’m excited to see what the anime brings to the table
saw it in 3d when it came out and yeah i got the blue ray and next time u watch it watch it with headphones
masculine urge to write and upload video essay abt how crazy it is that he likes not 1 but 2 adaptations of the same story
Netflix make anime
I had interviewed Bryan Lee O'Malley the day the film was first announced. At that point Wright was still attached to Ant-Man, so we would have had to wait a lot longer for the film to start production. I loved hearing more about the writing process behind the books and the movie, being written in parallel. Thanks!
I love Michael Cera
23:50 it’s kinda like how dragon ball super was being published as a manga at the same time as the anime so there were differences but still the same.
Where the hell did you get that background??? I love it so much
Scott 1,00000000% should’ve ended up with Knives in the film. That’s crazy that that was the original, because that’s how it should’ve ended:
The more I listen to this video, the more I don't think the movie fails or succeeds in recreating the comics. Rather give the ying yang involvement of the author and how that potentially affected the ending and major scenes in the comics, it looks like a parallel development.
I am reminded of reading the foreword of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where the author Douglas Adams talks about the parallel nature of the development of his books, the radio play and the BBC TV show. In the end, when pressed he doesn't consider any to be a primary source, rather each is a unique retelling of the same story with each cutting or adding elements not present in the others and highlighting the strengths of each medium.
I am unaware of Bryan O'Malley's thoughts on the subject but I would consider he may have a similar feeling.
Plus we now have an anime that will tell the story again in a different way and once again gives us another version of the same story.
Definitely it's great.
Haha! I don't think of Scott Pilgrim as a musical ok but i can't even argue. Nega Scott was a let-down, maybe that's the joke.
Never read the comics. Love the movie. 💔
DO read the comics!!
I've always felt Cera Scott only ever captured part of Comics Scott and, while I do personally enjoy Cera's performances usually, I always found it lacking in a way I didn't have the words for.
You've summed up that side of things beautifully and touched on more things here than I'd personally thought about.
What I'm saying is this is a great video and I'm happy to subscribe due to it! :D
First 10 seconds are really great of you
And the editing by 1:30, gold Lmaoo!
Thank you very much for this essay. I was living in Toronto - where the comic and movie are based (and filmed!) - at the peak of the Scott Pilgrim craze. I saw the movie in a Toronto theater (we cheered at every reference).
I've said for years that I love both the comic and the movie equally, but for different reasons. The movie truncates the comic's narrative, but I like how it focuses a little more on the "battle of the bands" aspect. I'm disappointed we didn't get the Honest Ed's fight, but we got the fun bass battle as a finale with Todd, instead. We lost the fun robot fight and gained a fun battle of the bands with the twins. The focus on the battle of the bands doesn't quite resolve itself in the end, but it keeps the narrative tighter as a result.
After watching this, I agree that the movie is maybe adapts too closely with the comic without its own thing to say. I think people saying it's style over substance is reductive, but there's a grain of truth in there. I didn't know the script was being written in conjunction with the majority of the book's publishing history. I thought it mostly came together before the final book came out. But that makes this adaptation all the more interesting.
I still love both works, but I will say you made me appreciate the comic a little more. I haven't honestly read it since the final book came out. Maybe it's time I revisit it.
I wouldn’t be me without this movie. This is my go to feel good
Thankfully we can have a more true to form Scott pilgrim interpretation ie anime now
I think you're creating a false dichotomy between a story about an insecure person learning self-respect, and an egotistical person learning that he's being shitty to other people.
Both versions of the story about a person why is egotistical BECAUSE he's insecure, and he learns that he's being a shitty person, but he doesn't HAVE to be.
So there was already precedent for what happened with GoT .. it just worked ..
Hey, James! Love this video, and all your other videos! Speaking of adaptations, would you ever want to do a video on adaptation and, say, The Princess Bride or The Last Unicorn or Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women?
Scott pilgrim and speed racer are some of the best movies evermade, and some my top 2
Agreed
I do love the movie it was my favorite movie for years I related so much to Scott and really got the lesson when I was 16 now I’m 22 and I can say I haven’t watched it in years but I definitely do think about it and I think taht makes a good movie
I feel like this entire video is a good example of how a binary system (with human input) just doesn’t work that well, because the second something diverts from that path whatsoever, a debate begins between whether they’re this or that. And that’s why we need to see things alike to this as a spectrum, rather than a binary, because binaries are just too strict and don’t allow for full expression of one’s selves ideas or feelings, if we actually followed that binary. The abstraction of following that path of the binary and going off course (like scott pilgrim did), shows us that we don’t have to stick to the binary to be absolutely amazing. And yes, I did just make this video into a LGBTQ+ allegory.