First of all, spoiler alert if you haven't seen the movie and/or read the comic...

Also, a couple of disclaimers: The movie just came out six years ago, so it may not have had time to reach classic status yet. Also, classic status can depend a lot on popularity, and who knows what people will be into ten or twenty years from now? For the purposes of this article, though, I am ignoring both of those things and just looking at the movie based on its own merits.

This past week, Nostalgia Critic released a video asking if weird things are this generation's smart things. He cited a few animated series ("Adventure Time," "Avatar: the Last Airbender," "South Park," "BoJack Horseman," etc.), which, on the surface may seem like bizarre, mindless cartoons, but actually turn out to be a lot smarter if you look at them deeper! I believe if we look at "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World," we may find the same.

For those of you who don't know, this movie is about a twenty-something Canadian guitar player, named Scott Pilgrim, who rebounded from his previous break-up by dating a seventeen-year-old, named Knives Chow. It's a little weird, yeah, but at least, things seem to be going okay for him. That is, until he meets another girl who is cooler and much closer to his age, named Ramona Flowers. Despite her aloof, angsty demeanor Scott is determined to score a date with Ramona, and she finally consents. Unfortunately, there is a catch. In order to be Ramona's boyfriend, Scott must fight and defeat Ramona's seven evil exes that came before her. So he does, through several surprisingly fun, visually stunning action sequences.

Little wonder about the visual aspect being so cool, as this movie was directed by Edgar Wright, who also directed the Cornetto trilogy: "Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz," and "The World's End." But, do cool action and visuals make for a classic film? Sometimes, yes. Movies like "Die Hard," "RoboCop," and "The Terminator" were groundbreaking in their day and still live on as classics now. Last year, "Mad Max: Fury Road" dazzled everyone with its use of practical effects, stunts, beautiful environments, and game-changing action that had a hint of artistry to it. What about this movie? Well, I would say the visual style is pretty impressive and innovative, using visuals you would normally associate with comics, cartoons, or video games. However, does this alone make a classic? Maybe, maybe not. Let's keep looking.

The visual comedy is, as usual, top notch by Wright.

That's all well and good, but, again, that's not quite what makes the film.

First of all, what is Scott? He is a guy recovering from having been dumped a year ago by the cruel Envy Adams. He rebounds by dating an impressionable, young girl who is genuinely into him. As soon as he finds someone he likes better though, he drops Knives like a bad habit and starts pursuing Ramona. It's important to note that he's technically still dating Knives when he begins this pursuit, meaning he's cheating on two women at the same time! But the thing is, Scott really isn't a bad guy, even though he makes a lot of bad decisions. He really doesn't want to hurt anyone and does realize the consequences of his actions at the end. He does apologize when he sees where he went wrong. Still, it might be easy to hate Scott because he does still act like a jerk a lot of the time (so much so that even his scary-looking, opposite alter ego turns out to be a really nice guy!), but I would highly suggest a look in the mirror. Even though most of us like to think of ourselves as good people, we'd be lying if we said we haven't made some significant, even hurtful, mistakes in our lives. In a way, Scott kind of becomes an everyman here: a guy just derping his way through life trying to figure it all out!

Next, what is Ramona Flowers? Unlike the rest of the characters, she is an American. After her seventh romance went sour, she decided to move to Canada for a change of pace and, hopefully, a chance to start over. Her initial cold shoulder approach toward Scott isn't born out of a sense of self-importance or snobbery, but rather a wall that she put up to avoid being hurt again. This also makes her a relatable character. Even the most outgoing and open of us would have to admit to having some skeletons in our closets and fears that we try to disguise with other emotions. The whole concept of the evil exes also just goes to show the age-old truth that when you're with someone, you're with everyone that person has been with in the past, as even Ramona must eventually duke it out with the jealous Knives! Both sides have baggage, and both sides have room for improvement!

The last thing I would like to address is its somewhat controversial ending. After having defeated all the baddies, Scott reunites with Ramona and Knives, having made peace with both of them by now. I believe the movie was being made at the same time the comic series was being wrapped up, so neither side knew who Scott would end up with yet. Originally, they shot an ending where he ended up with Knives, since she was the one who loved him all along. The comic went the opposite direction, so they reshot the last scene for the movie and had him end up with Ramona, instead. A lot of people were unsure about this since Scott and Ramona's relationship certainly isn't the healthiest and Knives does seem, on the surface, to be a more genuine person. But, as Knives herself said, "She's the one you've been fighting for...I'm too cool for ya, anyway." Right on both, Knives! Plus, you gotta admit, Knives was a little...needy. So, it's not like that relationship was the best, either. I have to say, after going over both endings in my head a few times, I like the one they went with better. Just like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which I've mentioned before, the two characters know that their relationship needs a lot of work and decide that the relationship is worth working together to make those improvements! Plus, if he had kept dating a high-schooler, wouldn't he have just been right back where he started?

So, yes, given all these thinking points, I am going to say that this movie is a classic. Is it as artistically notable as a lot of the other films that have come out in recent years? Well, no, of course not. But, in a way, I think that just makes this film even more amazing. A movie which should have been just a fun action comedy turned out to be a lot deeper and thought-provoking than it had any business being. It's actually a very relevant, relatable, and even smart commentary on the state of relationships in the world today. We see that all of us are just making it up as we go along, if the truth were known. And, even though none of us have all the answers, we must all do our best to make it work.

If you want to just watch this movie to be entertained, that's fine. I won't stop you. But for those of you who write it off just as a mindless fight movie, I'd highly suggest another look.

Besides, the movie also gave us this kick-ass theme song! That ought to count for something, too!