Film Review: Pixels

Pixels is a science fiction comedy revolving around arcade games in the 80s. Despite being a somewhat techie movie, it's loud, wacky and brain-dead.

Exactly how I like them. Well, OK, my tastes are a bit more varied than that. But varied enough to like what Pixels has on offer. The other arcade game-centric movie to have come out in recent times was Wreck-it Ralph in 2012, and it didn't entertain me half as much.

The Premise

The Earth is under threat from an extra-terrestrial force. The gimmick in play here is that these attacks are in the form of 80s arcade games! That's right - you get to see the heroes of the story go up against Pac-man and Centipede in full 3D pixellated glory as these critters go on a rampage in the city. The heroes, normal everyday nerds who are experts in these games, are called upon to save the planet.

Warning: It's an Adam Sandler Movie. 'Nuff said.

There's nothing to spoil. This movie is as shallow as it gets. Adam Sandler movies have very few redeemable artistic qualities about them, and this one is no exception. There's action, things get blown up, crass jokes are made and stereotypes perpetrated. All in a day's work for Mr Sandler.

The Characters

Adam Sandler as Sam Brenner, world champion of Pac-man. A soft-spoken man-child with little ambition (it's Sandler, no surprise there) who installs gaming systems for other people, has a deadpan sense of humor and really likes video games. This character was like 90% of all the characters he plays. No new ground broken, moving on.

Josh Gad hamming it up as Ludlow Lamonsoff, a conspiracy theory nut who also happens to be a whiz at Centipede. Creepy, ambiguously gay and lacking a heap of EQ. That whole geek stereotype in spades. Fun to watch sometimes, but wore on the nerves as the movie progressed.

Kevin James as the President of the United States, Will Cooper. I liked James in this role. Funny when he had to be, he actually played the straight man alongside Sandler and Gad. He's pretty good when he's not taking centerstage, like in the Paul Blart movies. The buddy dynamic between Cooper and Brenner was fun to watch.

Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones fame, playing Eddie Plant, world Donkey Kong champion. Smarmy, sleazy and brash. Also fun to watch, but what an utter waste of his talent.

Michelle Monaghan as Violet Van Patten, a divorcee and Brenner's love interest. Also just happens to be the weapons design specialist working for the military. Not much of a role here. The obligatory pretty face, as it were. So much so that her acrobatics in the later scenes seem really forced, like the makers of this movie added that in just to appease Girl Power, or something.

Jane Krakowski has a minor role as the First Lady. Man, I haven't seen her since Ally McBeal.

Brian Cox as Admiral Porter, playing a moronic version of the villainous badasses he played in the Bourne series.

Sean Bean as a tough-talking British military officer.

Cameos by ex-Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd (boy did I geek out there), Serena Williams (looking built and stacked like a brick wall), and numerous other celebrities, rounded up the cast nicely.

The Mood

Light-hearted, colorful, flashy in parts and action-driven. Heroes never seemed in any real danger. It was more of a "what if video games came to life?" scenario.

What I liked

Sometimes, people watch movies to have fun. When I turned off my brain, this flick delivered in spades. Sure, it's a Sandler film and that automatically means it's utterly devoid of artistic value and good taste. But what the hell, right? It's fun. The numerous shout-outs to different 80s arcade games brought the nostalgia out.

This movie doesn't pretend to be anything other than a shallow fun-fest. Worked for me. Though there was a moment where Sam Brenner reflected on a time when people would actually get out of the house to play games.

What I didn't

Michelle Monaghan. It's not her I don't like. It's not even her delivery. It's the character. What was her character doing, other than providing a romantic foil for Sandler's character? Lame.

Conclusion

Not for you if you like your movies deep, dark and with a moral. This is a popcorn flick. That's all it purports to be, and on that score, it doesn't disappoint.

My Rating

7 / 10

Pac-ed with laughs and action aplenty! Go watch!
T___T