No matter which side of the geek fence you fall on, ‘Scott Pilgrim’ is still a movie that needs to be seen — mainly because its visual style is unlike anything out there.

Under Culture being dedicated to all things geek, it should come as no surprise that I found Scott Pilgrim vs the World to be an incredibly good time. Its portrayal of 20-something angst via retro game references, its fast-paced kung-fu fights set to an indie-rock soundtrack — the film was designed specifically to stimulate the pleasure center of people just like me, and boy did it succeed. I laughed, smiled, exclaimed or cheered almost all the way through this movie.

To be fair, those less immersed in the segments of pop culture this film revels in may find it a bit less satisfying. References might fly over the heads of those who never owned an NES or picked up a comic book, making all the subtle in-jokes a distraction rather than a delight. Plus, the romantic story does get a bit lost in the constant stream of whiz-bang action and pyrotechnics; I’d understand the criticism that by the end of the movie, it’s possible not to know exactly which love interest we’re supposed to hope Scott ends up with. Personally, I thought it made sense for a directionless hipster to have no idea who he really did or should love, and took heart that at least by the end he finally makes an attempt at committing to something.

That being said, no matter which side of the geek fence you fall on, this is still a movie that needs to be seen — mainly because its visual style is unlike anything out there.

If the team behind Scott Pilgrim doesn’t win an Oscar for film editing, it should only be because they somehow managed to win two. Honestly, I’ve never seen a more dynamic sense of movement on film. The camerawork in Scott Pilgrim is relentlessly kinetic, to the point where even during slower scenes of dialogue, we’re propelled continuously forward as if every moment is urgently leading to the next. I’ve never felt so much like a movie was barreling ahead and it was up to me just to keep up with it.

Part of this is a general approach to directing. No one uses editing as skillfully or with as much humor as Edgar Wright; from Spaced to Hot Fuzz, he’s always had a knack for the quick cut serving as punchline or flourish. But this time it’s more than just a signature style. In an interview with the /Filmcast, he explained how his intention was to replicate the visual style of a comic book, where every panel is its own ’shot’. That means never cutting back and forth between the same image, never using any angle on the same scene twice, whether it’s a sword fight or a conversation. It’s a process I heard him describe prior to seeing the film, but didn’t realize how drastically it would effect the viewing experience.

Now, having seen it myself, I’m amazed at what a totally unique feel that method gives to the film. The pace is nonstop, leaping from shot to shot even in the most static scenes, just the way it feels to read a comic that’s really got its hooks in me. My eyes leap from speech bubble to speech bubble, letting the visuals just wash over as I launch ahead through the story. That’s what watching Scott Pilgrim felt like, for the first time in any comic book movie I’ve seen. It felt like reading a comic I can’t put down — frenetic and packed with details, but so much fun to read I rush through and have to go back later to appreciate them.

What’s more, it’s a bit boggling that directors have been making comics into movies for ages, yet no one else has had the guts (or maybe just work ethic) to try such a literal translation between mediums. There have been good Spider-Man movies, solid X-men movies, killer Batman movies, decent Superman movies, even a freaking Watchmen movie. But it took Edgar Wright and Scott Pilgrim to make a live action comic book movie that actually feels like a comic book, instead of running scared from the material and making a Hollywood action movie with comic book characters. For that, it’s worth seeing even if you don’t love the material. And for that, I love it even more.