Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a film based on a series of comic books, and this seizure-inducing 2 hours is what happens when Edgar Wright tries to do too much at once.

Scott Pilgrim is a lad in a band and he falls for a girl called Ramona. Apparently she has 7 evil exs; all of whom need to be defeated if he wants to be with her. Don't ask.

Being a film from Edgar Wright, it's a very sleek and stylish affair, with an aesthetic heavily inspired by video games and comics. The film is jam-packed with quirky visual and audible affectations, with more stuff popping up on screen than my mum's laptop. The film also plays around with different aspect ratios such as letterboxing to accentuate certain shots. This is nicely wrapped up with brilliant acting all round, and some very funny dialogue and well placed homages.

Scott's band enters a competition, and this plays a moderate role in the film. Not really to the story, but it gives it a reason to have rock music playing during every fight. Why do films always think rock music is so cool? I can't wait for the day a film features a guy introducing a girl to an orchestra of circuit-bent Furbies that he uses to create dirty breakcore tracks.

The biggest problem for me was that we're never given a reason why Scott has to fight the evil exs. There is talk of a 'league of evil', but no details are ever given. We're also given little to no information about each of the exs. They all just come out of nowhere, and are all defeated in disappointingly unsatisfying fights. It feels like the film over-stretched itself by having 7 people to fight. It would have been better to have maybe 3, so that it could establish each of them and have a more meaningful fight with each. We don't even meet the big bad guy until 25 minutes before the end.

A lot of stuff happens in this film without a good reason; even when giving it slack for the fantasy/comedy nature. Why does the second boyfriend agree to grind down a rail on a skateboard? And why does the vegan guy agree to drink either of the coffees? In fact, how does Scott even have the time and/or resources to make two cups of coffee with different types of milk after being punched through a wall?? Even the ending takes what should have been a straight forward happy ending and makes it all convoluted for no reason.

All the quirks of the film are over-done, and it feels like it's trying too hard at times. Everything in the film seems like it has to have some twist to it and go off on a brief tangent. It's like listening to a story from someone with ADD.

At the end of the day, it just isn't long enough to set up and satisfyingly finish the stories of 7 different characters and their fights with Scott.

I feel like I should love this. It has everything I look for in a film, but the way it does it seems stilted. Quirks only work when they feel natural and spontaneous. Scott Pilgrim is the kind of film that would ask for permission before going to kiss you.