In Edgar Wright's 'Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,' Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) prepares to whup some ass with a flaming sword.  Call it a lightsaber, and comic artist Bryan Lee O'Malley and Lucasfilm legal will whup some ass of their own.

Credit: Universal Pictures

When I look at the image of Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), flaming sword in hand, with Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzmann) looking down at him and Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in the background, it is hard for me to believe that the film really exists and that it's really coming out this year.  It's even harder for me to believe that I actually stood on that set in Toronto.

Yet... it's true.

And if you're not yet familiar with the material, I can understand why these early images from "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" might not blow your mind.  But based on how great "Shaun Of The Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" are, one would hope you might get excited based on the knowledge that this is the new film from director Edgar Wright.  Or maybe the premise hooks you the same way it did when I first heard about the books, before there was a film in development.  A young guy, Scott Pilgrim, is basically just drifting through his life in Toronto, in a band with his friends, sort of dating a high school girl, when suddenly he meets a girl named Ramona Flowers  who rocks his world.  He wants nothing more than to date her, but she tells him that in order for that to happen, he will have to defeat all seven of her evil ex-boyfriends in battle.

Uhhhh... awesome?

The thing of it is, Universal has a whole lot of potential awesome stacked up this year, and today's release of a big fistful of new images has me crossing my fingers that all of these films deliver on their promise. 

I know that a rough cut of "The Green Zone" I saw was an intriguing blend of the political-mindedness of "Bloody Sunday" and "United 93," while still delivering the visceral thrills of the "Bourne" sequels, and I trust Paul Greengrass to pull that final edit together.

I know that the days I spent in Ireland on the sets and the locations used for David Gordon Green's deranged fantasy-comedy "Your Highness" left me confident that we've never seen a movie like it, and curious to see exactly how it's going to work as a whole.

I know that "MacGruber," which sounded to me at first like a one-note joke dragged out waaaaay too far, a la earlier SNL movies like "A Night At The Roxbury" or "The Ladies' Man," is actually generating amazing buzz at its test screenings, and that everyone who's read the script loves it.  It sounds violent, distrubing, and surprisingly funny.

I know that new trailer for "Repo Men" looks like a whole lot more fun than I expected, and that people seem to be really responding to it.

I know that the chemistry between De Niro and Stiller has made the first two films in the "Fockers" series giant hits, and that they've spent a lot of time making sure the script for this one was right before they moved forward, aware of the expectations audiences have.

It sounds to me like Universal's aware that they had a rough year at the box-office in 2009 (even if I think the films deserved better) and they're starting off on a strong foot for 2010.

Check out our Universal 2010 image gallery, and then let me know what, if anything, piques your interest.

Can't get enough of Motion/Captured? Don't miss a post with daily HitFix Blog Alerts. Sign up now.

Don't miss out. Add Motion/Captured to your iGoogle, My Yahoo or My MSN experience by clicking here.

Not part of the HitFix Nation yet? Take 90 seconds and sign up today.

You can e-mail me at drew@hitfix.com or follow me on Twitter, where I'm DrewAtHitFix.