‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ Is the Best Franchise Reset in History

Proma Khosla
·4 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

(Editor’s note: The following article contains mild overarching plot spoilers for “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.”)

After endless reboots, sequels, and revivals, fans of big movies and TV shows aren’t clamoring for more the way they once were. But with “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,” Netflix and creators Bryan Lee O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski show that a franchise reset doesn’t mean the death of creativity or more of the same; it can be a fresh opportunity for a beloved property like “Scott Pilgrim” to completely revamp itself and find a brand new audience — while still satisfying old fans.

More from IndieWire

With one general spoiler for the entire series ahead, “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” is not the story of O’Malley’s six graphic novels, which wrapped up in the same year as Edgar Wright’s big-screen adaptation “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” — and it’s not that movie either. The animated series is a secret third thing, a total reimagining of how Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) meets the girl of (or from) his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and what happens when he tries to fight her seven evil exes. This time, Scott is presumably killed in the very first fight with Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha), his friends and Ramona then faced with life in a Scott Pilgrim-less world.

The series excels for countless reasons, starting with de-centering Scott; charming though Cera is as the lady-killer-wannabe-jerky-jerk from the movie, Scott’s thought processes and decision making are the easiest thing to critique about that iteration of the story. He dates two women — one a literal teen — without disclosing it to them, gets his band and his friends involved in the mess, and technically kills six people. In 2023, it’s harder to justify the sanctification of the cishet white male protagonist, and O’Malley and Grabinski make the simple but genius decision to just…not. Once Scott literally takes off, the story is Ramona’s — and Matthew’s and Gideon’s (Jason Schwartzman) and Young Neil’s (Johnny Simmons) and more — shifting the focus to a dynamite ensemble that shone even with Cera as its de facto frontman in 2010. Ellen Wong’s Knives makes a standout impression, with some of the series’ best line readings and exceedingly charming character design (it’s worth noting that Wong and Bhabha, the film’s only actors of color, were among the least visible in other roles after “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”). The eight episodes spotlight and delight in the ensemble, with ample room for the kind of visual and narrative experimentation that live-action shows are routinely praised for (looking at you, Episode 5).

Like every “Scott Pilgrim” iteration before it, the anime draws inspiration from the world of games and comics, to spectacular effect. Playing a video game repeatedly doesn’t yield the same results each time; every slight variation changes the gameplay and the user experience while allowing them to explore and play in a familiar and welcome world. With something as eminently quotable and rewatched as “Scott Pilgrim” (like the upcoming “Mean Girls” movie musical), there’s pressure to hit beats that fans have come to expect — and also surprising relief when the show almost immediately releases itself from that obligation. After Kim (Alison Pill) shrieks out “We are Sex Bob-omb, 1-2-3-4,” gone are the expected notes of the same song from Beck’s 2010 soundtrack, replaced with a new original.

And most importantly, “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” is true to its predecessors with an inexhaustibly fun spirit. Whether it’s nods to the books or film, meta jokes about an actor playing two versions of the same guy, or the deluge of wacky plot twists in the back half of the season, the buoyant, punk rock, experimental soul of the story is thriving. I did spit-takes. I started quoting the episodes. I clapped and I cackled and I cried when the credits rolled, not because of any particularly bittersweet story point, but because my overwhelming love for the characters and their weird little world.

This show has the highly-coveted yet rarely-executed reboot potential to indoctrinate new fans to its universe, without sacrificing the off-kilter humor and heart that endeared the story to its original fanbase. It’s not an easy task by any means, but “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” shows that it’s possible — and sets a new bar for anyone chasing the joy of the original with a second round.

Grade: A

“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” is now streaming on Netflix.

Best of IndieWire

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.