Chris Columbus and Adam Sandler are two people in the film industry whose movies I grew up with and still enjoy up to today. Columbus gave us Home Alone, Adventures in Babysitting, and Mrs. Doubtfire. Sandler gave us Happy Gilmore, Mr. Deeds, and Big Daddy. Now, they have combined their efforts to give us a new film that also took me back with Pixels.
The film begins with adolescent versions of Sam Brenner and Will Cooper, who are checking out the new video game arcade that just opened. There, they also meet and befriend Ludlow Lamonsoff. They all get involved in a huge video game tournament where footage of all the kids playing video games will be sent into outer space. The finals come down to Sam and another kid named Eddie Plant. Eddie beats Sam in a game of Donkey Kong. Years later, they have all lived different lives. Will (Kevin James) has become President of the United States, while Sam (Adam Sandler) has become a tech installer. Ludlow (Josh Gad) has become a conspiracy theorist. Will has called in Sam to look at some footage he has of a military base in Guam, thinking it might have something to do with a video game they played when they were kids. It turns out that the attackers are an alien race who interpreted the video of kids playing video games as a declaration of war. When the military isn't trained for defending the world against video games, it is up to Sam and Ludlow to save the world before their three lives are up.
While Adam Sandler is well know for his low brow, goofy characters, this time around he has toned down the goofiness a lot. There is still a little bit of a goofball, but compared to his fellow cast members, his role is a bit more straight. Kevin James as the adult Will Cooper is also in more of straight part. Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage, who plays the adult version of Eddie Plant, have the crazy goofball roles in this one. Both Gad and Dinklage are riots in their parts and you can tell they are having a lot of fun with their roles. Veteran character actor Brian Cox is also a lot of fun in his part as a crusty old admiral who is not particularly happy with how the President is handling the crisis at hand. Michelle Monaghan is also decent as Colonel Violet Van Patten, a single mother with a young son who is also called into action during the crisis.
Chris Columbus delivers us a fun film with a lot of references to the old video games such as Donkey Kong, Pac Man, and Centipede. Columbus is having a lot of fun with this, mixing in the action and the comedy, and showing that he still has something for us. Now Columbus did have to go to the different companies who made each video game and get permission to use their characters. But with what he was able to get, he certainly shows respect for the characters and still gives the audience something entertaining.
The visual effects are outstanding. I like how the visual effects team made all the video game characters look like they came right out of the machine rather than some new, and improved CGI. With this, it feels more in line with the games from the 80's.
Pixels is a fun film for everyone. The kids will get some enjoyment and interest in the story and situations, while the adults will get to see some of their favorite video game characters come alive on screen.
The film begins with adolescent versions of Sam Brenner and Will Cooper, who are checking out the new video game arcade that just opened. There, they also meet and befriend Ludlow Lamonsoff. They all get involved in a huge video game tournament where footage of all the kids playing video games will be sent into outer space. The finals come down to Sam and another kid named Eddie Plant. Eddie beats Sam in a game of Donkey Kong. Years later, they have all lived different lives. Will (Kevin James) has become President of the United States, while Sam (Adam Sandler) has become a tech installer. Ludlow (Josh Gad) has become a conspiracy theorist. Will has called in Sam to look at some footage he has of a military base in Guam, thinking it might have something to do with a video game they played when they were kids. It turns out that the attackers are an alien race who interpreted the video of kids playing video games as a declaration of war. When the military isn't trained for defending the world against video games, it is up to Sam and Ludlow to save the world before their three lives are up.
While Adam Sandler is well know for his low brow, goofy characters, this time around he has toned down the goofiness a lot. There is still a little bit of a goofball, but compared to his fellow cast members, his role is a bit more straight. Kevin James as the adult Will Cooper is also in more of straight part. Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage, who plays the adult version of Eddie Plant, have the crazy goofball roles in this one. Both Gad and Dinklage are riots in their parts and you can tell they are having a lot of fun with their roles. Veteran character actor Brian Cox is also a lot of fun in his part as a crusty old admiral who is not particularly happy with how the President is handling the crisis at hand. Michelle Monaghan is also decent as Colonel Violet Van Patten, a single mother with a young son who is also called into action during the crisis.
Chris Columbus delivers us a fun film with a lot of references to the old video games such as Donkey Kong, Pac Man, and Centipede. Columbus is having a lot of fun with this, mixing in the action and the comedy, and showing that he still has something for us. Now Columbus did have to go to the different companies who made each video game and get permission to use their characters. But with what he was able to get, he certainly shows respect for the characters and still gives the audience something entertaining.
The visual effects are outstanding. I like how the visual effects team made all the video game characters look like they came right out of the machine rather than some new, and improved CGI. With this, it feels more in line with the games from the 80's.
Pixels is a fun film for everyone. The kids will get some enjoyment and interest in the story and situations, while the adults will get to see some of their favorite video game characters come alive on screen.