"Pixels" Review

Title: Pixels

Directed by: Chris Columbus

Screenplay by: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler, Timothy Dowling

Year: 2015


Adam Sandler has been one of the most popular cases of Hollywood poison over the past few years. His filmography has a few good flicks, nothing spectacular but good watches. The rest of it however ranges from unenjoyable to downright awful. But the trailer for Pixels seemed like it could do the impossible; put Adam Sandler back on top form. Can this arcade themed film breathe new life into Sandler's career, or should you spend your quarters on something else entirely?

In 1982, a probe was sent into space detailing some of the culture on Earth, including video games. Aliens have found this information but take it as a declaration of war, so they send down real-life video games to destroy the Earth. Our only hope? The best arcade gamers of the 1982 championship.

Now, Pixels sounds like a fun and inventive picture. And it really should be. But somehow, they screwed it up. Pixels fails in just about everything it tries to achieve. If you are looking for Adam Sandler's comeback role, you will not find it here.

Sandler stars as Sam Brenner, a "retired" gamer who now installs electronics in homes for a living. He goes to a home where kid's parents are getting divorced and they get into a conversation about video games. Surprisingly, the film does a good job of illustrating the generational gap with only a few lines. Sam asks if the kid likes the classics. The kid then asks if he means "Call of Duty" and the like. It is actually done very effectively. But soon after, we are introduced to one of the weakest aspects of the film; the love interest. Michelle Monaghan plays Violet Van Patten, mother of the kid and a military Lieutenant Colonel. She is okay in the role, the issue is, the role should not even exist. There is literally no need for it. She is only there for some funny scenes and to give Sam a romance. This character is completely unnecessary to the plot. Josh Gad plays Ludlow Lamonsoff, a player at the 1982 championships. Unlike how he played Olaf in Frozen, where he whispered most of lines, Gad spends most of his time yelling everything as loudly as possible. Screaming does not make something funny, but it appears that Gad is unaware of this fact.

Even Peter Dinklage is not enjoyable. He plays Eddie Plant, the winner of the championships. Dinklage is stuck with an incredibly annoying accent that ruins his line delivery. Though I will say that he is the funniest character here, getting a few good lines. Though, Eddie does get a really stupid turn at the end. It seems smart at first, but once you give it a little thought, it doesn't make any sense. Finally, we have Kevin James as the President of the United States. Honestly, I find this funny. Yes it is unbelievable but then again so is the whole film, so I am actually fine with this casting. Kevin James tries his best to make something of his role and he gets a chuckle here and there but that's it. The cast isn't necessarily bad, it's more that the characters are horribly written.

One of the main issues with Pixels is that it really isn't funny. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with this...except that it is a comedy. James and Dinklage get a few good moments, but that's it. Sandler fails in his jokes and Gad is easily one of the more annoying characters of the year. Just about every joke in this movie falls flat, mainly due to stale delivery. Half the time, Sandler doesn't even feel invested in his own movie. Pixels fails as a comedy.

The romance between Brenner and Patten is unbelievably forced. As soon as he meets her, Brenner is interested in her. Patten is the typical uptight, by-the-book woman that often contrasts Sandler's character in his films. And then Patten does an incredibly stupid and out-of-left-field turn. She becomes one of the gamers in the final battle...even though we have not been given anything even hinting at the fact that she is even a decent gamer. And Patten begins to fall in love with Brenner because of his video game skills? Really? Pixels fails as a romance.

In between the action sequences, we get a party celebrating the fact that Earth is safe for the moment. These "breathers" are really just obstacles for the viewer, who is just waiting to get to the next action sequence. Nothing funny comes of them and they are mainly used to get across some exposition, setting up the next attack scene. I understand that these scenes are necessary to separate the exciting scenes and give the audience a breather, but they could have been done so much better. Here, they are simply boring and unfunny. Pixels fails to be engaging.

So Pixels really isn't a good movie. But is there anything redeeming about it? There actually is. Everything having to do with the video games is good. Scratch that, it's great. The opening is actually entertaining and a good set up for the story. And when the video games actually attack, it is fantastic. The visual effects are superb and some of the best this year. They are very bright and colorful and the pixelated texture looks amazing. The jokes actually work much better here as well. Seeing a building destroyed by Tetris blocks is ingenious and the joke about anticipating the pattern is also pretty funny. The fact that Earth has three chances (much like three lives) is also a good joke. The Duck Hunt cameo might just be the funniest part of the film for me. The final battle against Donkey Kong is well done and well shot. The Pac-Man chase scene is actually pretty tense at points. This is the movie we all wanted to see. Allow me to stress the point that just about everything having to do with the actual video games is awesome and fun, unlike the rest of the movie.

Talk about wasted potential, Pixels is the textbook definition of the term. With a wasted cast, very few laughs, annoying characters, and quite a number of boring moments, Pixels is a massive letdown. It is such a shame that the scenes involving video games make up less than half of the film as those are hands-down the best parts, and not just by default. They are well constructed, well shot, can actually make some of the jokes work, and boast very impressive visuals. Aside from that, Pixels has nothing to offer and is not worth your time. So whatever you do, do not press the start button.

Grade: D