Being a child of the 1980s, and (admittedly) a nerd, it’s safe to say arcade games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong were have a very soft place in my heart. People forgot how iconic video games used to be, and how they really were a part of our popular culture. The new comedy PIXELS imagines our 1982 technology being misinterpreted by aliens, and coming back to haunt us in the present, with spectacular results. Directed by Chris Columbus (who gave us HOME ALONE and the first two HARRY POTTER films), the new movie stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage. Check out the first trailer, which gives you an idea of how out there this is going to be. I can’t wait. With all the disposable Sandler comedies in recent years, the comedian desperately needs something to remind folks he can still deliver… will this be it?
In Pixels, when intergalactic aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults. President Will Cooper (James) has to call on his childhood best friend, ’80s video game champion Sam Brenner (Sandler), now a home theater installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Dinklage and Gad) to defeat the aliens and save the planet. Monaghan plays the team’s unique weapons specialist. The action-comedy is directed by Chris Columbus from a story by Tim Herlihy and a screenplay by Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling, based on the short film of the same name by Patrick Jean. The film is produced by Adam Sandler, Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, and Allen Covert. Executive Producers are Barry Bernardi, Michael Barnathan, Jack Giarraputo, Heather Parry, Tim Herlihy, Steve Koren, Patrick Jean, Benjamin Darras, Johnny Alves, Matias Boucard, Seth Gordon, and Ben Waisbren.