We Suck For Letting Scott Pilgrim Die
Posted by Matt Rosenberg on August 25, 2010 at 12:23 am
I am calling out all of you who did not see Scott Pilgrim. Yes, you, the reader of this post if you failed to hit theaters to see this incredible film. How could you let this happen? While if you are an avid banterer it is likely you are in the crop of people that have seen the film, I feel that it is our responsibility to bring attention to this tragedy. Through its second week in theaters, Scott Pilgrim has only taken in $20.2 million and has been deemed a complete failure with an estimated $60 million budget.
I think Anna Kendrick, on her Twitter account, said it best. “Alright kids, Scott Pilgrim is in theaters TODAY. If this movie doesn’t blow your mind, you are dead inside.” Anna, I agree with you. I am completely shocked that Scott Pilgrim has failed so miserably in the box office.
Websites like TheWrap.com and Cinemablend.com have written interesting articles about why the movie has been a failure. These articles place blame on a confusing marketing campaign and lack of genre clarity. I think that the film has received enough positive feedback from those who have seen it that it is completely inconceivable to believe how big a failure it has been.
As I write this post, I honestly can say I have not heard negative feedback from one person who has seen this movie. I myself went into this movie thinking it would suck, and was completely surprised with its greatness. While I’m sure part of the reason for the box office failure is a direct result of people thinking it would suck, at this point in its stay in theaters, that is not a good enough excuse not to see it. In a summer filled with mostly eh movies, Scott Pilgrim is a total stand out.
If you go to the movies just to laugh, this movie is for you. If you are cult follower of Jason Schwartzman films like “Slackers” and “The Darjeeling Limited,” this movie is for you. Even if you are sick of Michael Cera, this movie is still for you especially since the artistic beauty of the action scenes is so great. If you like action, this movie is for you. If you like Nintendo, this movie is DEFINITELY for you. If you like Edgar Wright’s (the director of Scott Pilgrim) previous movies “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead,” this movie is for you. This movie is so different than any other movie I have seen in some time, so if you go to the movies hoping for something different, this movie is for you. If you are a 18-30 year old who at one point liked Cera then go see this movie. If you want to have a good time and feel like a kid again, this movie is for you. If you are a 50 year old without an ounce of imagination left, then this movie is NOT for you.
We live in a time where Hollywood originality seems to lack and sequels dominate theaters. We live in a time where fresh filmmaking and a dare-to-be-different is often shot down as studios less frequently take risks on such projects. So, now when we actually have something fresh, unique, and actually really good, what do we do….well, we let it sit on skid row in the 10th slot and die a slow death.
We too often blame studios for putting out crap. In this case, we should blame ourselves. When a movie like “Vampire Sucks” takes in $12.2 million and trumps Scott Pilgrim, we should be embarrassed. Why would studios want to put out quality films if nobody is going to see them? They have to put out products they think will make money, right. No longer can we put blame on studios for putting out less quality films. Instead, we should be looking at ourselves and say we have a diminishing taste in movies.
If you are a fan of going to the movies and want studios to continue to deliver quality and original films, then I implore you…..GO SEE this movie.
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I think this one has been beaten to death, but here goes.
If a movie’s subject matter (storyline obsessed with sex, no real plot, characters are 1-dimensional at best) turns people off, if the movie looks stupid, then don’t be surprised when no one shows up.
The blogs created the illusion of massive support for the turkey due to a small, but irrational handful of webmasters deciding they would launch an online jihad to pimp this thing as the “greatest movie of all time!”
Well, when the first previews came out it was obvious this film sucked donkey balls.
The whole “I want you to fight my exes” thing was lame as hell.
First of all, if this slut has ALREADY had 7 exes then shouldn’t it occur to old Scott that it won’t be long before he becomes ex number 8?
Well, it may not have occurred to you but it occurred to audiences. We don’t like watching a movie who’s protagonist is stupid as hell. Dim, maybe, but not stupid as hell.
Slutty girlfriend who won’t tell her exes to leave her alone? LAME!
I know what you and the blogosphere who pimped this flick are thinking. “Don’t you want to reminisce about the late 80′s, wallow in Nintendo-love and drown in word-ballons and on-screen sound effects?
NO!
The 80′s was 20 years ago, and I grew out of video games at about the same time. Yes, you bloggers suffer from perpetual arrested development, but the rest of us grew up and got on with our lives.
You want us to root for a slacker loser who’s only ambition is to play in a garage band?
Perhaps some of the themes of this movie appeal to you but it doesn’t to general audiences.
Now enough with the “Why Did Scott Pilgrim Fail?” pieces.
We know why it failed. Shitty, indie comic, that only appealed to mentally/emotionally retarded niche refused to be smarter, to be more interesting, dump the hyper-emphasis on sex and instead focus on plot and character.
THAT’S why it failed and why you can’t ignite interest in it. Deal with it!
BTW, scott Pilgrim has now slipped to –snicker!– 14th place! This thing isn’t dying slowly, it’s taking the express train to oblivion!
BTW, check out the strident and demanding tone of your piece. The belligerence of the SP -lovers is another HUGE reason most of us didn’t turn out to see it.
If the people who love this film act like bossy, jerks then why would we want to be part of ANYTHING that they like?
Kent, interesting response
Couple Things:
Sure, Ramona is a huge slut for all the ex boyfriends but that’s the story. They were following a comic book. Don’t take your anger our on the film, when you should be targeting the original writers. This reasoning also is applicable to why you think story line was stupid as hell.
The tone of my voice shouldn’t deter from seeing a movie. That kind of reaction seems pretty stubborn to me. All I’m doing is try to convince people, who have decided NOT to see it, to indeed it. In essence, to get people thinking passed their false pretenses.
Anyways, good bantering.