A masterfully creative comic book movie with a cast that rivals ‘Avengers Endgame’ challenges Glen Powell on streaming

Few mediums can claim to be as acquainted with speculative fiction as comic books. Whether it’s superheroes, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, or some absurdist urban combination of the four, the most delightfully odd and curious tales ever told are almost always residents of the pulp.

It’s only natural, then, that comic books have served as the basis for so many cinematic outings; what better way to guarantee some gonzo fun than by drawing from a medium that specializes in it? Mind you, that landing doesn’t always get stuck, but that’s certainly not the case for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the Edgar Wright-helmed action comedy based on the Canadian graphic novel series of the same name, which is currently utilizing its infectious whimsy to capture the hearts of Max viewers all over again.

Per FlixPatrol, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is — perhaps to the chagrin of the protagonist — the seventh most-watched movie on Max’s worldwide film charts. Blocking its path to freeing itself from such an unlucky number is the sixth-place Twisters, the Glen Powell-led 2024 summer blockbuster that fell about as short of its predecessor as any legacy sequel could.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World stars Michael Cera as the titular Scott Pilgrim, an unemployed bassist whose adorkable demeanor hides a pretty severe emotional immaturity. He meets new-girl-in-town Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and winds up falling hard, but he soon finds that he has to defeat her seven evil exes if the two of them are going to date. Armed with his fists, intuition, and an ever-so-slightly budding sense of self-respect, Scott prepares to lay the smackdown on Ramona’s heartbreak pantheon.

The film quite famously plays host to one of the most mouth-watering casts in recent memory; alongside Cera and Winstead are the likes of Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Mae Whitman, Jason Schwartzman, and a not-oft-cited Bill Hader as the film’s narrator.

And yes, that call sheet is every bit as indicative of the overall merit of the film itself. While it makes a few too many narrative sacrifices in its jump from comic to screen — resulting in a thesis on love, relationships, and personal growth that could have been much less watered-down — the cinematic joy inherent to every frame is hard to turn one’s nose down at.

Indeed, the film’s use of editing and special effects work effortlessly in tandem with each other, giving the film the briskness of reading a comic book while taking every opportunity to play with highly-stylized dream sequences and even more highly-stylized realities. As a technical tickling of the senses, Scott Pilgrim is one of the best around, and when paired with a story that’s human enough to engage a viewer but not so dense as to distract from its mandate of fun, its cult status becomes no great mystery.

In this way, it makes for the ultimate comfort watch, particularly if you happen to be scrolling Max with your friends and need something to watch alongside your pizza, Dr. Pepper, and whatever other vices you have on hand.