The Objectification of "Scott Pilgrim"

Last updated on: September 13, 2010 at 6:05 pm by Jason Morehead

The Objectification of "Scott Pilgrim" 2010-09-13T18:05:14-06:00 Jason Morehead

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is arguably one of the most pop culture-savvy movies released in recent memory. I saw it on opening day and thoroughly enjoyed it. But even so, I’ll admit to being a little troubled by some of the movie’s plot turns and simplifications.

I would never go so far as to say that the movie encourages the view of women as property, nor would I ever describe it as “Twilight for boys.” But there is something about its view of love and relationships that does bother me — something that won’t quite go away, something that isn’t entirely washed away by the movie’s ultra-giddy sense of style and nostalgia.

PopMatters’ “Scott Pilgrim vs. Thematic Clarity” is, I think, a fairer assessment of the film’s flaws.

Inasmuch as Pilgrim explores the “save the princess” archetype and questions romance as an abstracted end point arrived at through violence, the story then summarily rejects deeper characterization by asking us to forget all that and cheer for the death of the final boss anyway — simply because he’s a bigger jerk than Scott is. Ramona, the girl of Scott’s dreams, rarely rises above the level of the chorus or a visual aid, so it’s actually rather a relief in the film when Scott decides this isn’t about winning her. He acknowledges her incongruity within the flatness of his own story, but instead of reconfiguring and instilling depth in its framework to make it all work, he simply sections her off for later. Romance apparently can’t work within the very constraints that Pilgrim has set up for itself, but rather than performing the much-needed overhaul, the narrative simply accepts itself uncritically.

For what it’s worth, I do think that the movie’s somewhat shallow treatment of certain themes is simply due to the process of adapting and translating a multi-volume graphic novel to the silver screen — and deciding to focus, for obvious reasons, on making the “boss battles” as awesome as possible. Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels do a much better job of fleshing out and exploring the moral complexities of the characters’ actions and offer a more nuanced take on many of the characters, all while still packing in the “boss battles” and 8-bit video game love.

Asides

popmatters

scott pilgrim

Previous Post

September 13, 2010

Winter's Bone: A Sundance Winner That Doesn't Sell out the South

Next Post

September 13, 2010 Red Dead Redemption and Squandered Potential

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Asides Elsewhere Featured Film Games General Culture Headline Literature Music Of the Moment Podcast Politics RetroPost Sports Technology Television Uncategorized Viral

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz