Universal PicturesHow does Scott Pilgrim vs. the World exist outside of the context that created it? Once upon a time, the Edgar Wright film was the surrealist love letter to both geeks and hipsters: a pitch-perfect amalgam of the pop culture heavyweights that dominated the 2010s. That it also managed to deliver a new cinematic language, with sweeping visuals that redefined a comic book movie’s capabilities, was just the cherry on top. Most Millennials are happy to herald it as one of the best (and most quotable) films of the 21st century, but as our world evolves, it seems eager to leave Scott Pilgrim and his precious little life behind.Scott Pilgrim feels less like a cult classic and more like a guilty pleasure today. Outdated jokes and some decidedly unfeminist themes have since scuffed a once-flawless reputation. On its 10th anniversary, critics questioned whether we’d outgrown the title character entirely. A few months later, Netflix teamed with Wright and Bryan Lee O’Malley, creator of the original graphic novels, to update Scott Pilgrim’s story through a more PC lens. Everyone seemed to agree that the saga didn’t exactly align with our modern-day sensibilities — and for better or worse, they weren’t wrong. But, at the risk of being not-woke-enough, does it really need to? Unlike the classic heroes Scott Pilgrim emulates, the 2010 film is about terrible young adults navigating the world on their own terms. Michael Cera portrays Scott Pilgrim as the classic Millennial softboy, projecting kindness and nonchalance, but all too happy to turn on any relationship that doesn’t suit him. That does eventually change when he meets his match in Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), an American expat who’s no saint herself. Together, these two aren’t exactly relationship goals, but as Scott submits to a battle royale for Ramona’s heart, Scott Pilgrim pivots from a cheeky riff on crushes and courtship into a bittersweet examination of the bridges we burn to stoke the flame of new love.While the tone of Wright’s film deals in morality far murkier than O’Malley’s source material, it’s under no illusions about Scott. He’s bragging (with some humility, to his credit) about his latest relationship (with a 17-year-old schoolgirl!) in the scene that opens the film, for crying out loud. Scott totally sucks, and since the men in his life — with the exception of Wallace (a hilarious Kieran Culkin) — don’t seem to care about his antics, it falls to Scott Pilgrim’s female characters to turn subtext into text.“Scott, if your life had a face, I would punch it,” deadpans Kim (Allison Pill), one of Scott’s scorned exes. She, alongside the foul-mouthed Julie (Aubrey Plaza) and Scott’s sister Stacey (Anna Kendrick), serves as the Greek chorus spelling out Scott’s worst habits. Sure, Scott’s been burned before, most notably by the rising rock star Envy Adams (Brie Larson) — but Scott Pilgrim makes it clear that he’s hurt plenty of people before he starts punching his way through Ramona’s exes.Say what you will about Scott Pilgrim — it looks better than most films coming out today. | Universal PicturesEven if Scott Pilgrim’s story has soured in the intervening years, the film, without question, still walks the walk. Wright and his team went all-out in crafting the film’s “moving comic” look; even after 15 years, few have come close to achieving anything like it in live-action. That Scott has a “pee bar” that diminishes when he relieves himself, or a 1UP that looks exactly like his comics counterpart, might feel corny to some — but the film knows exactly when and where to integrate its homages to video games. Its edit is similarly brilliant, with match cuts and visual gags that make it a truly unstoppable force. On top of that, this cast is truly stacked, with once-and-future superheroes like Larson, Chris Evans, and Brandon Routh hamming it up opposite indie darlings like Plaza and Jason Schwartzman.Crucially, Scott Pilgrim’s visuals can’t be extricated from the story around it. One informs the other, and the film is the better for it, despite its now-cringeworthy moments. In truth, Scott Pilgrim doesn’t fare great when you try to bring it into the present day. That’s why any attempts to do so, like Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, don’t exactly... well, take off. It’s a saga that belongs to a bygone era, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be disappear. Scott Pilgrim is a fan favorite for a reason: Its virtues far outweigh its flaws, and its hero’s journey is far too entertaining to dismiss outright.Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is now streaming on HBO Max.