“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ Reviews Love The Surprise Twist

When Netflix revealed the first trailer for Scott Pilgrim takes offthe streaming platform made sure to boast about the extremely impressive feat of bringing back the entire cast from Scott Pilgrim vs. the world. However, at first glance, the animated series appeared to be a faithful retelling of the classic comic book already adapted by the film. Not so fast.

Without revealing any spoilers, Scott Pilgrim takes off takes a surprising turn, and the reviews are absolutely here for it. The series has racked up rave reviews for bringing an updated take on the comic (and film) through a bold creative choice.

You can see what the reviews are saying below:

Alison Herman, Variety:

At first, “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” appears to be a straightforward adaptation, simply rendered in the visual style of O’Malley’s original work instead of Wright’s kinetic live action. (Wright remains involved as executive producer.) The film’s entire cast, from Cera to Chris Evans to Aubrey Plaza, even reprises their roles as voice actors. But by the end of its pilot, “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” veers off in an unexpected direction — one that both distinguishes the series from previous iterations of the “Scott Pilgrim” concept and comments on them from our current cultural perspective .

Kenneth Shepard, Kotaku:

If you’re just looking for a little nudge up or down, then yes, you should look Scott Pilgrim takes off if you are a fan of the original story and have also seen the movie. Hell, throw in the really good video game too. The anime is in conversation with the source material.

Nicolas Quah, Vulture:

This new animated series, however, operates on a whole new wavelength. He finds O’Malley back at Scott Pilgrim after more than a decade, this time in collaboration with writer-director BenDavid Grabinski (Fortunately) and critically acclaimed Japanese animation studio Science SARU (Devilman: Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Star Wars: Visions). It also, miraculously, features the return of the entire cast of the film, but it’s worth noting here that Scott Pilgrim takes off isn’t this the redux it appears to be at first. This adaptation hinges on a major twist that’s worth paying attention to, so if you want to jump into the series cold, just take this with you: it’s fine.

Rendy Jones, RogerEbert.com:

“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” is a phenomenal standalone addition to the franchise, as excellent as the many incarnations that came before it. Amidst the remakes and reboots, this rare upgrade smartly reexamines its entire story with a deep twist without sacrificing any element of its identity. He treats his audience as the adults they are and brings nuance to his perennial lost twenty-something case study, substantial enough to bring together newcomers and his veteran fan base. With its most stylistic form yet, “Scott Pilgrim” achieves the most human rendering of this story yet, to the point that I was torn by its final needle drop.

Graeme Virtue, The Guardian:

You might expect Scott Pilgrim takes off require knowledge of the original film or graphic novels. But O’Malley and his collaborators were careful to create something that doesn’t overwrite the originals but coexists intelligently with them. New viewers will encounter an ingenious breadcrumb trail leading them back to Wright’s film, with the two screen adaptations revolving around each other. All you really need is a residual memory of what it was like to have a crush in your teens or 20s. Some of the sound effects may be borrowed from retro video games, but the emotions are lyrical, evoking that time in life when falling in love is at its most precarious and intense. It’s quite a rush.

Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter:

Scott Pilgrim takes off is a reminder of the extraordinary casting work done on the film and transplanted vocally. I still love the callous youth of Cera, the smoky, cool-girl maturity of Winstead, the pre-Roman snark of Culkin, the cutting sarcasm of Pill, the gruff movie-star machismo of Chris Evans, the vegan himbo swagger of Brandon Routh and, above all, Wong’s unbridled youthful enthusiasm. Oh, and there are guest stars. But it’s a SECRET.

Christian Holub, Weekly Entertainment:

Scott Pilgrim takes off is therefore the best type of franchise extension. Although this requires some familiarity with the original stories, fans who enjoy Scott Pilgrim vs. the world I’ve watched it over and over again and should be excited to spend more time with characters like Matthew Patel (Satya Babha), who only had a few minutes of screen time in the original film. And while a two-hour movie seems way too long to spend with Kraven the Hunter or Madame Web in Spider-Man’s absence, a 30-minute episode is just the right amount of time to spend time with the star of the Evans skateboard, Lucas. Lee.

William Hughes, The AV Club:

It’s simply the fact that O’Malley is still able to create a deeply romantic story about those dizzying moments when you suspect something. Really good could be about to happen. This version of this story may be more skeptical of the lasting power of twenty-something lovers than when its co-author was one himself — but it’s also become kinder and more mature in the process , no longer wanting to dismiss anyone as “righteous”. an evil ex. (Even if it’s your ex and he’s objectively bad.)

Scott Pilgrim takes off is available for streaming on Netflix.