Created by Bryan Lee O'Malley and directed by Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim is a stylish, fast and funny love letter to our generation.

Scott Pilgrim VS The World is tanking at the box office despite rave reviews and a lot of hype from the internet community. This makes me sad.

I watched a midnight show of the movie on Thursday night and I have never LOL’d so much so frequently in a movie theatre. Scott Pilgrim is the brainchild of Bryan Lee O’Malley and wonderfully directed/translated to the big screen by Shaun of the Dead’s Edgar Wright. Its visual style, pacing and sensibilities are very much like that of a videogame and manga rolled up into one. Every moment, every action, every transition is kind of ADD– but it works. If you grew up playing Nintendo, PC games, etc, you’ll find a lot to like about the sensibilities of this flick.

As an artist/creator/storyteller back when the internet was pretty much in its infancy– this was a time when all of the artists/creators shared a special bond. Pixel Art, Anime(as a rarity, i.e. the Golden Era), pre-realistic/crude CGI, mouse driven cg coloring were all the norm back then. As artists, we were all fans struggling to create things that we loved in a time when media and entertainment required more of an imagination than the types of things we get to experience today. We all got our hands dirty and did the best with what we had as we pushed forward into unknown territory. The ensuing years would be a renaissance of the entertainment medium in general. The combination of the internet, computer imagery and social media gave new grounds for every artist to be able to present their creative vision to countless people around the world if that person pushed themselves. Over the years, while some have floundered, others have taken things to new levels, broke new ground and have found some mild successes.

Bryan O’ Malley is one of us. To me, his efforts with Scott Pilgrim represent to the online creator what is possible if you stick with something you love and believe in. The fact that his work was able to grab the attention of such a great director like Wright, while also getting the backing and funding from a major Hollywood studio is something that all creators strive for — To have their work shown to a mainstream audience around the world and to receive some sort of recognition that comes from all of that hard work and dedication.

It’s a shame that this movie isn’t doing better. Whether it be marketing or the fact that the movie may be to niche-y. Whatever the case, if you have any affinity for retro videogames, comics and over the top manga-esque storytelling, I highly urge you to give it a chance. You’ll have a fun time and also keep some dreams for aspiring creators alive as well.

Click on the image above to go to the official Scott Pilgrim Movie website.