Trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World goes viral

He has given us zombies shambling through the streets of north London and incompetent cops living out their action-movie fantasies on Somerset lanes. Now Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright plans to introduce us to the universe's most evil ex-boyfriends in the much-anticipated summer comedy, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Based on the cult Canadian comic book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley, the film, which opens in the UK on 6 August, stars Michael Cera as sweet-natured slacker Scott and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the object of his affection, Ramona V Flowers, whose seven evil exes (including a pair of sword-wielding twins) Pilgrim must battle if he is to win her for good.

So far, so entertaining but what has marked Scott Pilgrim apart from the summer competition has been the speed with which the film's second trailer has gone viral. Released on 31 May, in just one week the clip was viewed more than 350,000 times on YouTube, received a couple of thousand comments and moree than 5,000 "likes" on Facebook, and was talked up on blogs from Jezebel to Tecnorati. So why has it become such a hit? The answer in part lies with Wright's acknowledgment of Pilgrim's origins and the way in which he references everything from the Street Fighter arcade game to the original Batman TV series. If you've ever wanted to watch a comic book bought exactly to life on screen, from every first "Pow!" to every last "Crunch!" then this is the film for you.

Then there's the tone – it's a gleefully over-the-top take on the indie slacker rom-com in which the geeky guy wins over the too-cool-for-school girl thanks to his quirky personality and belief in true love – and stellar supporting cast, in particular a scene-stealing Kieran Culkin as Scott's sarcastic flatmate Wallace Wells. Watch the trailer at Youtube.com/ watch?v=8NUBVcit5VM