AFTER top notch comedies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Brit director Edgar Wright makes the leap to Hollywood with SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD (12) After Shaun s zombie rom-com antics, Wright takes genre-bending to new heights.

AFTER top notch comedies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Brit director Edgar Wright makes the leap to Hollywood with SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD (12)

After Shaun's zombie rom-com antics, Wright takes genre-bending to new heights with this romantic action comedy homage to retro computer games... based on a cult comic book.

It's enough to make the average movie-goer's head spin and Wright shows no mercy with a hyper-fast storytelling style and eye-popping cartoonish visuals.

But if Hollywood has given him a bigger canvas to work with, the film still feels refreshingly like Wright's cherished Channel 4 sitcom Spaced, as 20-something loser Scott (Michael Cera) is forced to fight seven evil exes to win the hand of his new squeeze Romona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

The story is no great shakes but Wright's visual sense is a revelation here, adding flourishes that turn the film into a kind of live action Japanese cartoon while the surreal fight scenes - involving flaming swords, vegan super powers and people turning into coins when they die - are great fun.

The only downside is it's so fast and funny that when things do slow down, they drag - but it's impossible not to fall for the film's eccentric characters and inventive style. - JUSTIN MATLOCK