Although the film is apparently tanking at the box office, I want to go on record as saying Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is an incredible, landmark film. Not only is it fun, smart and enjoyable, but it will probably be as much of a generational hallmark as Slacker was to Gen X.  In much the same way Slacker captured the meandering anomie and proto-hipster posture of the early 90’s, Pilgrim, with its clever integration of video game aesthetics and its uber-pastiche mega-meta-self-referentiality reflects the experience of being a young person today. But what makes it even better is that watching it doesn’t make you feel old, it reignites the sense of wonder and hope and possibility that is your early 20’s.

Based on a comic book series of the same name, Pilgrim is the story of a slacker-y boy who falls in love with a girl and has to defeat her seven evil exes. Simple premise. What makes the film so wonderful is that this simple premise -and dazzling special effects – hover over a storyline of simple truths and relatable scenarios. Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim is lovably awkward and the cast of supporting characters are vivid and funny and, in their own 2D way, totally true. The film is the first film I’ve seen that really integrates the media-overload, non-logic aesthetic of into internet-style information age storytelling. Plus its fun.

Go check it out.