The movie Pixels has many critics shaking their heads, rating it poorly, and calling it a disappointment. Some are even calling for Adam Sandler to quit his job. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 20% approval rating, and IMDb currently has it listed at 5.9/10.
I went to go see this movie regardless of the harsh criticism, and I have to say I’m part of the 20% group, because I enjoyed it!
The Plot
The plot is pretty straightforward. In 1982, there is a video game competition, and the games get sent off to space. Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler) was part of that competition. Flash forward to years later. The aliens that received the tape took it the wrong way, and now Sam, President Will Cooper (Kevin James), and other classic arcade gamers must save the day.
I love this plot because it creates an excuse to see classic video games attack Earth. There are some gaps in it, some questions you may or may not ask, but don’t let that discourage you. The plot stays relatively consistent throughout the movie and has a nice and funny conclusion.
The Acting
A lot of reviewers hated Adam Sandler’s performance, but I thought he did a great job with his role. Critics and general audiences are just tired of his movies it seems, so they naturally think he will be bad in this. He isn’t though, and neither is the rest of the cast. If you want an Oscar-nominated performance, go see a different movie. If you want fun and light-hearted humor with silly acting, go see Pixels.
But what about the video games?
This is where the movie shines. Being able to see Pac-Man gobble up New York City is a wonderful experience, not to mention the epic battle against Centipede. This movie does a great job of paying tribute to the classic video games that I grew up on, and I couldn’t be happier with what they did. If you’re someone that went to the arcade to play video games, then you’re going to love these parts in the movie. By the way, Q*bert is absolutely adorable!
The Bad
Like I said earlier, the plot has some minor gaps and can get a little confusing. The acting is not Oscar-worthy, and there are times when the characters are just annoying. But the humor is great overall, and I found myself laughing a lot more than I did shrugging my shoulders.
Rating and Recommendation
If you want to take this movie seriously at all, don’t go see it. You won’t like it, and you’ll be wasting your money. But if you want a silly summer flick that is funny and about video games, then this movie is perfect for you. It doesn’t contain a lot of swearing or blood either, so it is also a good movie to take your kids to (it’s PG-13).
If I’m being a harsh critic, I’m giving this a 5 or 6 out of 10. But I’m not that guy, so I’m giving it a 7 out of 10, and I recommend going to go see it.
