Who would have thought that footage of the 1982 World Video Game Championships would incite an extraterrestrial attack today? That, my friends, is the war we wage in the new film Pixels.
In the ’80s, Sam, Will and Ludlow were great friends united over one common interest: They loved arcade games. Fast-forward to today and much has changed since that youthful time. Sam (Adam Sandler) is still involved in the tech sector; he installs electronics. Will (Kevin James) is president of the United States. And Ludlow (Josh Gad) is a conspiracy theorist living in his grandmother’s basement. These three friends are all needed to save the world from Pac-Man and his cronies.
We are facing creatures like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong because NASA sent a VHS tape into space including footage of the World Championships. Part time capsule and part peace offering, the footage was meant to educate whoever received it on the culture of the time. Unfortunately, the extraterrestrial beings who see the tape view it as an act of war and immediately set out to destroy us.
To do so, they are re-creating the iconic video game characters and sending them to Earth. After first being attacked by Galaga, the president realizes just how crazy this situation is and calls in his friend Sam to help.
The battle lines are drawn: lose three times and the planet will be destroyed. The foes will be video game characters that these “Arcaders” know how to fight. It will be up to them, after joining forces with Eddie “The Fire Blaster” Plant (Peter Dinklage), to take down the aliens and save the world.
Quite frankly, although I’m a closet Adam Sandler fan, I was extremely worried about this release. Trailers spawned doubt and the belief that this would be more Jack and Jill then Billy Madison. While Sandler doesn’t match the earlier high points of his career, I’m happy to say I had a lot of fun with this film.
Depth is not this film’s forte and the characters are put in some of the oddest scenarios to keep the story moving, but the bottom line is, I laughed. I think, given the fact that I’m a child of the generation, the references to the ’80s found my funny bone and blasted it. I knew, while I was laughing, that it was an extremely cheesy movie — but it was cheesy good fun.
Sandler tones down the juvenile side of his performance. This softer sell helps him to avoid derailing the pace of the film with his typical over-the-top antics. Working with a fun, comedic cast, the filmmakers allow all of the characters to take center stage from time to time. I was particularly fond of Gad’s conspiracy-centered performance that I think some will need multiple viewings to totally appreciate. I wish the female characters would have been given more fun roles as well — instead they are mainly relegated to love interests. Michelle Monaghan looks like she is bursting to get in on the comedic fun as Violet, and I think she would be quite good at it.
Eighties gaming was simpler — graphics were minimal at best, but people were just as passionate. You have to pump more than a couple quarters these days to get this much video game excitement at once. Pixels reminds us to have fun, even when we are saving the world. You will never look at Pac-Man the same way again. See, Mom, all that video game playing can pay off. Now, where did I put my old Super Nintendo system?
Pixels
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James
Director: Chris Columbus
Grade: B