What defines a generation?

I often hear newscasters ask that question when they want to refer to a piece of technology, new movie,or video games. Normally it is something they did grow up with. We get it, they're old. Then we, whatever generation 20-something-old's fall into, ask a similar question....what defines our generation? We grew up being shaped and woven into the information super highway. We were in prime position to learn anything and everything that came along with the fast pace of video game consoles, cell phones, and the internet.

This is not about those things, at least I don't think it is. This is about how one movie can reflect so well on a generation, that when we watch it, we feel we are looking into a mirror. The mirror, just happens to be showing back Scott Pilgrim vs The World (much better looking than my ugly mug). Was it Michael Cera's portrayal of the title character (maybe), Mary Elizabeth-Winstead's mysterious persona (meh), or the multitude of pop culture and video game references our generation love (that may be the one)

This falls in line with how we are killing our own childhood and the childhood of the people 4 to 5 years older and younger than us. We are the biggest nostalgic group out there I have come to realize. I watched my friend's reaction to every reference the movie could have had. Anything that resonated with what he knew, he laughed at. Also, I enjoyed Brandon Roth's evil ex part because he (spoiler) turned out to be a main villain in this past season of Chuck (a show I truly love).

I often claim I am an 80's child, which in some sense is true, I was born in 86. I didn't grow up knowing a ton of stuff in the 80's at the time. I know of it through my parents and reruns of cartoon shows that had ended years earlier, Transformers G1*, GI Joe, The Real Ghostbusters, TMNT, you get the idea. All of the main 80's and early 90's franchises have had a major movie in the last decade, are being rebooted, or rebooting the reboot. As much as I hate the idea of X-Men First Class, Soundwave as the villain for Transformers 3, or the fact GI Joe was awful, I will see these movies. Why, I am a fanboy and nostalgic for what I grew up loving.

Back to Scott Pilgrim: Normally I am not a fan of the guy gets the girl type of movies. Why? It has not happened to me that way becuase normally I am the one losing the girl. The visual presentation, musical score, fight choreography were precise for every single frame shot for that movie.

In Wil Wheaton's PAX East keynote, he spoke of going home. That PAX was one big journey to return home to be among the people we can share a moment most closely with. I say, Scott Pilgrim is one of the few movies we would allow to play on repeat for hours and hours.

*sidenote: I awas listening to the music form the Autobot-Decepticon battle from the Transformers 1986 animated movie in my "Blogging Music" playlist in iTunes.....