Summary
Someone out there suggested an animated take on theScott Pilgrimuniverse similar to the game or graphic novel, and that’s exactly what the universe provided withScott Pilgrim Takes Off. The fantastic animated series has been received incredibly well thanks to all the unique choices that it has made. Serving as both a sequel and remake of the original works, this series has been a breath of fresh air for many people.
With eight action-packed and mystery-packed episodes to watch, fans can only hope that there will be more ofScott Pilgrim Takes Offcoming in the future. With much of the cast from theScott Pilgrim Vs. The Worldfilm reprising their roles, the series feels familiar as each actor clearly had fun in their respective roles.
Bryan Lee O’Malley, BenDavid Grabinski
Cast:
Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Satya Bhabha, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Alison Pill, Aubrey Plaza, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Johnny Simmons, Mark Webber, Mae Whitman, Ellen Wong
8
97%
Where to watch
Netflix
At first, it seems likeScott Pilgrim Takes Offis poised to be a faithfulretelling of theScott Pilgrim Vs. The Worldmovie, but it is anything but. With little writing quirks signaling that events will play out differently, the plot of the show is mostly similar to the movie up until Scott is met with Ramona’s first evil ex-boyfriend, Mathew Patel. Instead of Scott winning a thrilling and surprisingly musical battle, he is seemingly killed right off the bat to close out the first episode of the series.
Picking right up after Scott’s death, the next episodehones in on his funeraland introduces his ex Envy Adams, as well as all of Ramona’s evil exes. Instead of Gideon being the most nefarious villain of them all, the victorious Mathew Patel challenges him for his leadership considering he beat Scott Pilgrim. Patel wins, leaving Gideon with nothing, something that leads to Ramona hearing Scott’s voice, convincing her that he’s alive.
From there, Ramona spends the next few episodes interacting with Scott’s friends and the various evil exes as she attempts to figure out what happened to Scott. Young Neil becomes a big-time screenwriter (luckily,he wasn’t impacted by the writer’s strike), Gideon becomes demoted to plain old Gordon and seeks out an old flame for help, and it’s discovered that Ramona’s ex, Roxie, wasn’t behind whatever happened to Scott. She continues her investigation and learns that Lucas Lee, Todd Ingram, and even Envy Adams also aren’t behind Scott’s disappearance.
Eventually, Scott turns up, revealing thatit was his future self who’d kidnapped himin order to convince him to stop pursuing Ramona thanks to their eventual marriage and divorce. The future version of Ramona ends up taking Scott back to his time where he’s able to officially make amends with both Knives and Ramona. Another twist is thrown into the mix when Scott and Ramona try to kiss, only to discover that a mysterious field is keeping them from doing so, sending the pair out to solve the new mystery.
What Did Critics Say About Scott Pilgrim Takes Off?
Both critics and fans seem to be lovingScott Pilgrim Takes Offif Rotten Tomatoes is any indication. Some of the most common and generally universal praise the series has received is that the cast all do a fantastic job revisiting their old characters in a different style and that the animation of the show overall is charming and vibrant. Many agree that there is a lot of fun to be found throughout the series, specifically for those who are massive fans of the Edgar Wright film.Alison Herman of Variety had this to say in her reviewofScott Pilgrim Takes Off:
“To serve that audience, it has to supply both nostalgic comfort and novelty inflected with self-awareness. It’s not an easy assignment, but like a triumphant gamer, “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” completes its mission.”
The thing is, not every reviewer seems to be loving the show. There have been much harsher critiques of the overall plot and the show’s brand of comedy. Additionally, there has been plenty of criticism that the show both looks and feels like it would be appropriate for younger viewers, but the subject matter of the show says otherwise.In The New York Times, Maya Phillips had this to sayabout the series:
“So I won’t say “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” completely fails to launch, because it offers a wholesome sense of closure for fans of the books and of the film. But the series never fully succeeds either. The characters may have grown, but in this incarnation, the story itself is stuck in a state of arrested development.”
How Does Scott Pilgrim Takes Off End?
Struggling to figure out who the culprit behind the mysterious anti-kissing field is, it is finally revealed that the future version of Scott Pilgrim was behindthe adorable animated couplenot being together. Stating that Scott just wanted his past self to listen to his warnings to not bother getting involved with Ramona, thus spiking one of his drinks with technology that would create the field, he angrily prepares for a fight. The twist here is that instead of appearing as he had when Scott first met his future self, that sad futuristic Scott has now become a hulking monster reminiscent of Ryu.
As one might expect, the drastically different evil exes (when compared to the film) actually end up assisting in the fight against the now super-powered Scott. Despite all the help, it looks like future Scott is more than capable of handling all of his foes, and he gleefully closes in on his victory. In a twist, the future version of Ramona shows up and merges with her past self to become Super Ramona.With her new superpower, Super Ramona sends future Scott back to his own time, overcomes the kissing barrier, and everything ends up going well for the many happy characters. The series also has a mid-credits scene that sees Gordon and Julie hatching a new scheme to take their revenge on Scott and Ramona.
