SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD (12A) One of the freshest and most inventive action comedies of the last few years

A couple of questions are raised going into Scott Pilgrim Vs the World which, as with almost every other film these days, is based on a graphic novel.

The first is whether director Edgar Wright can parlay the success he found with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz into his first shot at a proper Hollywood feature.

That’s not to say that he’s necessarily taking a step up here, because anyone familiar with his zom-rom-com and cop spoof will know they’re two of the very best films of the last decade, British or otherwise.

But it is the first time he’s made a film with a fairly substantial chunk of purely American money, and Hollywood will be watching to see if he can pull it off.

There’s also the question of whether the film’s star, Michael Cera, can finally shake off his Juno/Superbad likeable nerd persona and deliver a sufficiently different and truly interesting character and performance.

Cera plays the titular Scott Pilgrim, who at 22 is something of a slacker, in a band and dating a high school girl called Knives Chau. But when he sees new girl in town Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) at a party he falls for her hard.

What takes this to a level beyond that of the standard teen rom-com is that, in order to date Ramona, Scott must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. That’s evil as in they want to kill him, and defeat as in fight to the death.

It all takes part in a world that, though more or less real, is part comic book and part video game. With its quirky scene transitions and on-screen graphics and text, it could easily tip over into arch and irritating, but Wright quickly establishes the world and sets the rules for what is to follow, and there shouldn’t have been a moment’s doubt that he could handle it expertly.

And what does follow is every bit as insane as the premise suggests. Everyone appears to have superpowers, so the characters can soar through the air as they battle, and withstand atomic blows in the process.

It ends up playing like a much funnier and far less bloody Kill Bill, with each of the fights offering something different, more original or more comical than the last as Scott ploughs his way through the hordes to face the final showdown with Gideon (Jason Schwartzman).

As for Cera, it’s not a complete departure but it’s a step in the right direction, playing a character who’s still reasonably sweet but also self-obsessed and a bit dim. Taking part in numerous fights scenes obviously helps Scott stand out from the usual Cera shtick, and he even gets to display an unseen darker side while still remaining funny.

Of the seven evil exes, Chris Evans and Brandon Routh make the biggest impacts, the former as a smug actor, while Routh (who played Superman in Superman Returns) provides big laughs as a psychic vegan.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World is bouncy, demented and packed with so many fun characters and moments that it becomes difficult to pick a highlight. It’s one of the freshest and most inventive action comedies of the last few years, and one that can proudly position itself beside Kick-Ass in terms of sheer entertainment value.

Director: Edgar Wright

Running time: 112 mins

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (15) Overwhelmingly talky

Just five months on from the release of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, this first sequel in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy takes in the further adventures of computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), now independently wealthy and free of her abusive guardian, Bjurman.

Meanwhile at Millennium magazine, investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) has hired a young writer to do an expose on trafficking, but when he and Bjurman turn up murdered, Lisbeth becomes the prime suspect.

As Mikael and Lisbeth both look for the truth, the film is conducted as a series of interrogations amid a blur of new characters, few of which are compelling.

It’s never boring exactly, but given what has come before, the content of this sometimes overwhelmingly talky thriller just can’t compete with Dragon Tattoo.

It should be edge of the seat, propulsive stuff but it comes over like a lukewarm TV drama. But the most damaging flaw is keeping Lisbeth and Mikael apart for almost the entire film, since it was their combustive relationship that gave the first film its edge.

A strangely apathetic Nyqvist sleepwalks through lifeless conversations and Rapace gets nothing like the opportunity she had first time round to shine.

Here’s hoping when she kicks the hornet’s nest in the final part later this year, the results are a good deal more satisfying than this.

Director: Daniel Alfredson

Running time: 129 mins

DOG POUND (18) Bleakly memorable

At a youth correctional facility in Montana, three new inmates aged 15 to 17 arrive for varying offences: hothead Butch, ladies’ man Davis and quiet Angel. The facility’s stated aim is to rehabilitate the boys, the guards are fair, and if they serve their terms without incident they may have a future.

With such solid foundations, it’s a shame Dog Pound spends so long peddling the clichés of every prison movie ever made, serving up incidents from the daily routine involving drugs, violence both unprovoked and recriminatory, and codes of silence.

But the sobering conclusion is that for all the good intentions, one way or another through circumstance, bad luck or their own actions, the system will consume these boys, and it’s this that leaves Dog Pound bleakly memorable.

Director: Kim Chapiron

Running time: 91 mins

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID (PG) Smart, sharp and funny

Based on a bestselling series of books by Jeff Kinney, the misadventures of 12-year-old Greg (Zachary Gordon) are told in zany, episodic style, with plenty of animated illustrations taken from the book to cater to fans.

Greg is trying to survive middle school, where he thinks he should be higher on the food chain, but his every attempt at improving his status results in disaster and humiliation, unlike his best friend Rowley, who embraces his lack of cool and whose stock rises as a result.

It wouldn’t be as much fun if it was just Greg getting picked on, but it’s his delusions of grandeur that make Wimpy Kid so engaging.

It’s smart and sharp and young Gordon is a wonderfully adept performer, and while its lessons about the value of friendship are well earned, it’s not above talk of cheese touches and nuclear cooties, all of which adds to the appeal.

Director: Thor Freudenthal

Running time: 92 mins