Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

My Generation Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 30, 2018

David Batty's "My Generation" (2018) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films UK. The releases comes with a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring messages from Michael Caine and director David Batty, as well as four collectible cards. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"My generation demanded a new beginning."

At least in the beginning what united them was their desire to enjoy life in ways that their parents could not. Their country was recovering from the war, but it was also restoring an old order that they did not feel was right for them. They wanted more colors and better music, more laughs and better sex, and the new place that was emerging from the ashes did not have any of these things. So they started changing it.

Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, who today uses the much simpler name Michael Caine, witnessed the transformation and David Batty’s documentary My Generation gathers many of his recollections about it. Some of the artists and musicians that he admired occasionally help him fill in the gaps, but the documentary is essentially one big personal journey back to the ‘60s. In other words, in it there are a lot more feelings and emotions than serious historical analysis of key events and trends.

The casual manner in which Caine delivers his descriptions makes many of his recollections sound like extracts from a conversation between old pals who have been through a lot over the years and are trying to refresh their memories. Plenty of them begin and end quite abruptly, but the light humor that the actor routinely adds up binds them really well. The only time the documentary visibly stutters a bit is when the likes of Paul McCartney, Roger Daltrey, and Lulu make a random comment from somewhere behind the camera that confirms what the actor has already made clear.

The best material is the one where Caine describes some of his greatest struggles to fit in. For example, very early in his acting career his cockney accent was apparently considered a serious weakness but he stuck with it, never walked away from an audition, and eventually got his big break. (The entire segment where he describes the most important audition in his career and how the simpler and more attractive Michael Caine name came to exist is beyond hilarious). The actor also confesses that there were a few times when he was unsure about his place on the London scene, but with the invention of the mini skirt all of his doubts instantly disappeared and he permanently fell in love with it.

Quite a few clips from some of Caine’s biggest films are included to highlight the different changes that he made as he became more popular and the same changes are then used to highlight some of the big socio-cultural trends that were occurring at the time. It is very straightforward material. The commentary that Caine offers basically quickly rehashes a few well-known facts and then shifts back to his feelings and current appreciation of the “good times”.

Ultimately, My Generation should resonate best with folks that experienced what Caine did. It is not an eye-opener, just a good nostalgia fix -- it is authentic, very straightforward and extremely easy to digest. Nothing wrong with this, though. It just needs to be approached with the right set of expectations, and for optimal enjoyment perhaps viewed with a glass of aged whiskey.

My Generation Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, David Batty's My Generation arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films UK.

As it is the case with virtually all documentaries My Generation uses plenty of original new and vintage content, which means that the quality of the visuals varies. In other words, you should not expect the type of consistent top quality that brand new studio content ensures. The bulk of the content here, however, looks wonderful, and even large portions of the vault material looks very healthy. There is some rougher standard-definition material that introduces the bigger fluctuations, but this is the nature of the surviving materials that were accessed. There are no purely transfer-specific anomalies, so as far as I am concerned My Generation has transitioned to Blu-ray very successfully. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

My Generation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There is plenty of music in the film but plenty of it comes from vintage sources, so some dynamic fluctuations are present. On the other hand, clarity is outstanding, and there are no balance issues to report. There are no transfer issues to report in our review.

My Generation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet - 36-page illustrated booklet with a messages from Michael Caine and director David Batty.

• Promo Cards - four collectible promotional cards.

My Generation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I saw My Generation a couple of nights ago and I have to say that it turned out to be exactly the type of documentary I expected -- not an eye-opener but a nostalgia fix with some lovely recollections from Michael Caine. It was very relaxing and I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of it. If you decide to pick it up for your library, keep in mind that Lionsgate Films has two different Blu-ray release available for purchase; this Limited Edition which comes with a very nice booklet and collectible cards, and a slightly cheaper standard release. I recommend choosing the Limited Edition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.