Directed by: Chris Columbus
Written by: Tim Herlihy, Timothy Dowling
Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan
The year is 1982. Arcades are all the rage. Middle-school students Sam Brenner and Will Cooper spend all their time in their town’s recently opened arcade. Soon, they are so good they compete in a worldwide arcade gaming contest. Also competing are Ludlow Lamonsoff and Eddie “The Fire Blaster” Plant. Video of the players competing is taken and sent into space to share with other signs of intelligent life.
Fast forward to the present. Sam Brenner (Sandler) is an electronics installation worker. He is still best friends with Will Cooper (James), who’s gotten a promotion since Paul Blart: Mall Cop; he is the President of the United States! While working an assignment to install a huge-screen television and game system, he meets Violet (Monaghan), a recently divorced mother of one, and they have an instant love/hate relationship.
Unfortunately, those videos that were shot at the gaming contest back in the ’80s have been received and misinterpreted as a declaration of war. So the aliens (we don’t really find out much about who they are or where they are from) fight back and attack various spots on Earth by sending life-sized versions of classic arcade games to destroy buildings and kidnap people. Ludlow Lamonsoff (Josh Gad), who was my favorite character, is a conspiracy theorist who discovers what is going on and helps Sam and Will come up with a plan to fight back against the alien invasion. They recruit Eddie “The Fire Blaster” Plant (Peter Dinklage) from jail to help with the mission.
It turns out that Violet is actually Lt. Col. Violet Van Patten, a DARPA specialist who helps develop weapons to fight the invasions. After two attacks (and two losses for Earth), the team deciphers where the third attack is going to be – London. So they all head to London, with a team of specially-trained military men, to fight for Earth. This time, the game that the aliens send down is Centipede. This was one of my favorite parts of the movie, seeing the characters fight back and actually be a part of this game that they grew up playing.
The effects in this movie were amazing. The 3D was totally worth it. It feels like you are part of the video game, along with the players. There has to be a suspension of belief when watching this though, but that’s fine because it’s a sci-fi fantasy comedy. Pixels is a fun family film with loads of ’80s references. Stick around through the credits to see highlights from the film, re-enacted in ’80s video game style.
