Pixels (2015)

When aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth in the form of the video games.

Director:

Chris Columbus

Writers:

Tim Herlihy (screenplay), Timothy Dowling (screenplay)

Stars:

Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan

4 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adam Sandler	...	Brenner
Kevin James	...	President Will Cooper
Michelle Monaghan	...	Violet
Peter Dinklage	...	Eddie
Josh Gad	...	Ludlow Lamonsoff
Matt Lintz	...	Matty Van Patten
Brian Cox	...	Admiral Porter
Sean Bean	...	Corporal Hill (SAS Officer)
Jane Krakowski	...	First Lady Jane Cooper
Dan Aykroyd	...	1982 Championship MC
Affion Crockett	...	Sergeant Dylan Cohan
Lainie Kazan	...	Mickey Lamonsoff
Ashley Benson	...	Lady Lisa
Denis Akiyama	...	Professor Iwatani
Tom McCarthy	...	Michael the Robot

Storyline

Sam Brenner, Will Cooper, Ludlow Lamonsoff, and Eddie "The Fire Blaster" Plant all played classic arcade video games as teenagers. But now they have to use their skills to try to save the world from aliens. The aliens watched video feeds that they thought was a declaration of war. So they send down the classic arcade games to destroy earth. They also get help from a military specialist. They have three lives and if all three get used then earth will be destroyed, and every time they lose a live the aliens take someone's life. Who will win, us or the aliens? It's an all-out battle to save our planet and everyone on it.

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Plot Keywords:

arcade game | alien | product placement | donkey kong | pac man | 

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Taglines:

It's time to save the World

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

RatPG-13 for some language and suggestive comments

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA China Canada

Language:

English Hindi Japanese

Release Date:

24 July 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pixels

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$88,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,011,616, 26 July 2015, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$78,747,585

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$244,866,996

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,LStar Capital,China Film Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital Auro 11.1 Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Composer Henry Jackman's second video-game related movie. The first was Wreck-It Ralph (2012). His third is Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).

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Goofs

In the final act, the main character from Paperboy emerges from the ship. Paperboy came out in 1985, 3 years after the probe was sent into space.

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Quotes

Ludlow Lamonsoff: I believe that some alien life-force, has sent real life video games, to attack us.
[Scene cuts to Pac-Man attacking the firefighters truck]
Sam Brenner: [Thinks for 4 seconds] That makes sense.

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Crazy Credits

The opening titles look like they show a triple reflection off a monitor screen and protective glass, typical on an arcade game.

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Connections

References Max Headroom (1985)

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Soundtracks

Surrender
Written by Rick Nielsen
Performed by Cheap Trick
Courtesy of Epic Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

I really don't understand the ratings on this one

A 5.5 on IMDb. Really? This movie was not bad! It was funny, action packed, and just all out fun.

The idea and the storyline of this movie was very good. It was very creative and it brought back memories of older games such as PAC-MAN, Galaga, and Donkey Kong. The CGI for all the animated game characters was awesome. The cartoony animation was absolutely great and made the characters fit in well with the real world.

The comedy was hilarious! I found myself laughing very hard at times and it was just great, classic Happy Madison humor. Part of this was because of the acting which was great by the way. Everyone keeps saying that Adam Sandler is not funny anymore but I disagree. He still was funny at times to me and I thought he did good acting. Kevin James as the president was hysterical. Michelle Monaghan did great. But the two who were just hilarious and almost made you cry because they were so funny was Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad. They were so funny and the stuff they said and did was totally laugh out loud funny.

Surprisingly, the action in this movie was really good. The PAC-MAN car chase, the Donkey Kong battle, and the video games attacking the city was great action and there were some cool new stunts I have never seen before and that was nice to see in a comedy film.

If you love the old time video games, Happy Madison, good, laugh out loud comedy, and some cool and comical action then you will love this movie. Sit back, don't take it too seriously, and enjoy this fun film.