Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Usually the number of the beast is just “666” but for this loved-up lad, it’s the telephone number of his new girlfriend “Ramona” (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). “Scott” (Michael Cera) thinks they are kisses when she writes it out for him, but nope - it’s the number of her exes he is going to have to vanquish if he is to win and keep her heart. Meantime, this part-time rocker is having to gently let down her predecessor, the seventeen year old “Knives” (Ellen Wong) who has fallen for her older man - he’s 22 - big style as well as juggling his platonic bed-sharing arrangements with his gay best mate “Wallace” (Kieran Culkin) with whom he temporarily shares in what appears to be a bomb shelter. His battles are fought video game style, with points accrued and superpowers acquired as a collection of just about everyone from Chris Evans to Jason Schwartzman try to beat him into the next world. There’s a great soundtrack to support this, plenty of caustic wit from Culkin and Cera does the enthusiastically hapless geek really quite engagingly as this action-packed culture clashing comedy adventure hits the ground running and doesn’t really let up. It’s a bit cheesy at times, but avoids that coming-of-age sentimental nonsense as just about everyone gets a chance to get thrown around. What would you do for the love?