When I first read that Adam Sandler was making a movie about video games from the ’80s, I rolled my eyes so hard I’m surprised the momentum didn’t throw me out of my chair. “Good lord, the guy who made Jack and Jill is going to take on video games?”
The first trailer for Pixels is now out. The trailer (linked above) tells the story of a group of aliens invading our planet having mistaken a time capsule for 1982 containing records of Earth’s culture as a declaration of war. In a bit of irony, the invasion consists of gaming icons of the 1980’s being turned against the human race as alien weapons. It’s up to Adam Sandler and crew (for some reason) to save the Earth (somehow, the trailer isn’t clear on that).
Do I think this movie is going to be good? It’s way too early to tell. What makes this different from Sandler’s recent movies, however, is how over-the-top the trailer is. At one point Toru Iwatani, the creator of Pac-Man, goes up to the alien Pac-Man and talks to it like a son. The scene is absolute gold.
These sorts of movies tend to become surprise hits or spectacular failures that garner cult followings at bad movie nights. Either way, it seems like it’ll be fun to watch with all your gaming buddies.
Pixels is due out in theaters this summer.
