Review of Pixels (2015) by Lukechristiansc — 28 Jul 2015

Pixels is filled with 80's nostalgic aimed for adults but it the film is really mean't for kids and it's a typical Adam Sandler film were he has no charisma it's offensively lazy also he just wants to hang with his friends.

The prologue is set in 1982, 13 year-old Sam Brenner (Anthony Ippolito) and his friend Cooper (Jared Riley) ride their bikes to a newly opened arcade, where Brenner comes and shows his skills mastering classic arcade games such as Pac-Man, Centipede, Tetris and Space Invaders.

Cut to present day, where Cooper (played by Kevin James who was miss-cast) is a goofy unpopular president of the U.S, Brenner (Adam Sandler) is sad sack who wears a orange uniform and installs TV's and video games.

Sam never really gotten over his defeat at Donkey Kong at the hands of showboating Eddie (played by Peter Dinklage) as a grown up, and Brenner can not get over it. Michelle Monaghan plays Violet a soon to be divorced mom, who is a high ranking weapon specialist.

Josh Gad is Ludlow, a creepy love able gamer who lives in his mom's basement. Back In 1982, NASA sent a time capsule into space that included arcade games. The aliens misunderstand the videos and that took as a threat and declared war Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong send them down to Earth to destroy the whole planet.

The talented director Chris Columbus (Home Alone 1,2 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) has no timing which makes this comedy awkward and not funny, the film does have inspiring action sequences. Sandler's writers Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling's script does have laugh out loud moments and pretty cool action scenes but the problems it's their script.

Weak female characters and that's not odd because Sandler has weak sexist characters in his comedies but it's not good. Josh Gad is screechy and thinks it funny if he's high pitched and screams his lines.

You don't buy the chemistry between Michelle Monaghan and Adam Sandler. Kevin James as the president? Wrap your minds around that one. The film can be funny at times but it's a typical lazy zero effort Adam Sandler film, not even the humorous Dinklage in a mullet can save it.

Some okay performances and a great visuals.