“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” didn’t age well as I hoped it would.
Back when I was in sophomore high school, Bryan Lee O’Malley’s series was the obsession of my circle of friends. I remember saving up my baon to buy the overpriced graphic novels at Comic Odyssey, passing them to my friends during lunch and listening to its film adaptation soundtrack religiously. This franchise completely defined our coming of age.
We identified with O’Malley’s characters and found his fun, quirky storytelling unusual yet alluring. None of us questioned Scott’s softboi tendencies and how he treated Ramona as a prize to be won. Just like any teenager in 2011, we didn’t know any better.
That’s not the case when “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” turned 10 this year.
A lot of fans who are now content creators agree that this cult classic didn’t age well. Just from the satirical Soundcloud track “Ramona Flowers Ruined a Generation of Women,” we know that a lot of its fans are bitter simps or softbois. If that’s not a big ooft, I don’t know what is.
“‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ has some dialogue that maybe wouldn’t fly in 2020, but it’s ultimately a pretty fun movie, especially for its loyal leagues of fans, who upon this movie’s release, maybe felt ‘seen’ in some way, in all their nerdy glory,” writes Paste Magazine. The folks from Seeds Entertainment adds, “‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ is a fun, great film to watch, but it should not be ignored that Scott Pilgrim is supposed to be an unlikable, problematic character.”
Let’s face it, the best part of “Scott Pilgrim” is the women. They always have been
I’m no longer the same girl back in high school. I hate myself less, I’m more radical with my views, and my internalized misogynistic perspective on the color pink is gone. Long story short, I’ve grown—and so has my love for Edgar Wright’s cult classic. “Scott Pilgrim” still holds a candle in my heart. But to love it now means to hate its titular character and love its women forever.
Kim Pines, Ramona Flowers, Envy Adams, Knives Chau, Julie Powers, and Stacey Pilgrim have more impact in my life than Scott.
My high school self identified with Kim Pines’ deadpan, no-nonsense attitude, while I went full-on Knives Chau back in my freshman year when I fell in love with an older man (never do this). I remember wanting to perform “Black Sheep” by The Clash at Demonhead ala Envy Adams at my school’s battle of the bands.
Until now, I saw my best friend as a Ramona Flowers type, thinking she’s the coolest yet complicated person to ever come to my life. As for Stacey and Julie, they’re not just extras to the story. They were four-dimensional, fully realized characters that gave weight to the narrative.
All I can say is these fictional characters who were smart, talented, and complicated quenched my thirst for four-dimensional women at a time when they were few and far between
Let’s face it, the best part of “Scott Pilgrim” is the women. They always have been.
Am I idolizing these women for nostalgia’s sake? Maybe, I wouldn’t put it past me. All I can say is these fictional characters who were smart, talented, and complicated quenched my thirst for four-dimensional women at a time when they were few and far between. Some had “Buffy,” I had the women of “Scott Pilgrim.”
Now we’ve reached the film’s 10th anniversary, the iconic status of Ramona Flowers, Envy Adams, Knives Chau, and all of the women of this franchise should be recognized. Say it with me—Scott Pilgrim who?
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