I finally got around to watching the movie Pixels just now. Having seen and loved the short film by Patrick Jean, I was interested when I heard that it had been picked up to be turned into a major motion picture, but also wondered how far the premise of classic games coming to life and attacking Earth could really be stretched.
Here’s the original short:
My expectations took a nosedive when it turned out to be an Adam Sandler movie. Sorry, but aside from the Lunch Lady song, I’m not really a big Sandler fan, so even though the trailer looked amusing, Pixels went on my “I’ll see it if I get around to it” movie list during its theatrical run.
I didn’t see it in the theater. But, since I just signed up for the Starz app to watch American Gods, I saw that Pixels was available on the channel, so I figured I might as well give it a shot. And it wasn’t bad!
It’s predictable fluff to be sure (although I thought the Pac-Man scene was pretty clever), and there are inaccuracies that any hardcore classic gamer nerd will spot (also, US Marines aren’t supposed to have tattoos below the elbow — just sayin), but you can tell it was made with a love of the subject matter and a heavy dose of classic gaming nostalgia. The all-out attack by tons of different videogame characters at the film’s climax makes for a fun game of “how many can you name?” And most of the movie is actually pretty funny.
Would I drop 25 bucks on the Blu-Ray? Nah. But I think I’d actually recommend the movie to anyone reading this blog for a good popcorn flick.
For more on Pixels, including purchase options, visit the Pixels Official Movie Site on Sony Pictures’ website.
Peter Dinklage kinda steals the show, BTW.
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