What do you get when you mix a comic book series by Bryan Lee O’Malley with fight scenes reminiscent of arcade games within the context of a romantic comedy? Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

The much-awaited North American debut of the film, directed by Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead), stars Michael Cera (Juno) as Scott Pilgrim, a 23-year-old slacker that is in a band, between jobs and sharing a bed with his gay roommate. Despite his nasty break-up a year earlier, Scott has a picture-perfect life and a new girlfriend who is 17, a fact that draws ridicule from his friends. At first, Scott and his girlfriend Knives (Ellen Wong) appear to be the perfect match, until a mysterious hipster Ramona Flowers (Mary Winstead) begins to appear at parties that he attends, and then in his dreams.

The basic premise of the movie begins later when Scott learns that in order to date Ramona, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. Meanwhile, he must practice with his band for a Battle of the Bands competition that a famous indie producer will be attending. Fight scenes, featuring punch combinations and flying, ensue as Scott struggles his way to Ramona’s heart. If the story does not captivate you, don’t worry; it didn’t do much for me either.

Although the rapid cutting techniques of Edgar Wright abound in this movie and lead to considerable comic effect, the story fails to hold together the seemingly random collection of witty scenes. Nevertheless, the interesting techniques used in this movie do deserve a mention.
In one scene, Scott covers his eyes, which causes an immediate fade-out on the screen. This deepens our awareness that Scott is the protagonist and that we are seeing the world through his eyes. Later, in homage to his Seinfeld legacy, Wright includes the theme song and laugh tracks from the television show, proving that he is the author of the movie.

Unfortunately, the acting in this movie does not match the direction, as most of the characters lack depth. While most of the actors cannot be blamed for this due to the inadequacy of the script, Cera proves that he is simply a personality star, as he continues to play the scrawny slacker that gets the girl.

So, for those of you who are fans of Edgar Wright, you can expect more of the same in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. However, the movie is ultimately good for a couple of laughs but nothing more.