Scott Pilgrim: Takes Off is the newest iteration of Scott Pilgrim media in a brand new show available on Netflix. (Caution – mild spoilers ahead) Taking place in an alternative series of events, Takes Off also tells its own story while amplifying other characters from the universe that you already know of but maybe not enough about.
The story begins as you would expect it to, following the events of the graphic novel almost panel to panel, right up until the Matthew Patel fight. This time around, however, Scott actually loses the battle, forcing in an entirely new story and subverting all expectations. After this shift, the lead protagonist becomes Romana, who is thrust onto the path of a detective attempting to unravel who was the mastermind behind Scott’s demise.
With the main character shift, along with an entirely new set of events playing out, the audience is treated to a more in-depth view of the other characters within the Scott Pilgrim universe, from Romana to Scott’s friends and family, including the “7 Evil Exes“. You may think you know the characters from the novels, but the show throws enough new content and context their way, fleshing them out far more than the small amount of time they’ve been given prior. All of the film actors return to voice their respective roles from the films, with actors such as Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Romana Flowers), Chris Evans (Lucas Lee), and Brie Larson (Envy Adams), to name a few. Despite the film being, as of writing, ten years old, they all did a fantastic job reprising their roles and breathing new and untouched life into each character.
The art style used for the show is almost a graphic novel to screen transition, which feels like a natural course for it to take, thankfully not attempting to do anything different than the source material. Every scene is a joy as not only does it look fantastic, but, just like the film and the novels, each scene has little references and background Easter eggs relating to the source material and general video game references. There are so many that you’re bound to miss a few without rewatching it.
Musically, they knocked it out of the park as it appears they combined the Scott Pilgrim video game music with the film soundtracks into this hybrid of both, and it just works really well together. Let’s also not forget to mention a brand-new track exclusive to the show from the character Evny Adams, which was a total bop.
While this may not have been a direct novel to animation adaption, I didn’t feel cheated as a fan of this universe. Due to certain story events, Scott Pilgrim: Takes Off could be considered a companion piece, an alternate universe or even a sequel as it takes all that came before and adds to it, in all the best ways. It is a shame we may not see a second season or any more adaptions as Bryan Lee 0’malley, the writer of the original novels, stated that he wrote the show to start and end within one season due to Netflix’s track record of cancelling shows after a single season, while also saying he didn’t want to retread the same story again and thus crafted a new story.
Personally, I loved everything about this show. I was not disappointed by Scott Pilgrim: Takes Off, it’s a solid show, with a high recommendation for any Pilgrim fan to sit down and digest all it has to offer.
Leave a Reply