Pixels

A fun movie, with bright actors. Entertaining and authentic. Worth surely the view

Aliens in the guise of video game characters prepare to take over the world and a group of 80s arcade gamers re-team to stop the threat.

From the director of Home Alone, Chris Columbus' Pixels plays as a mix of Wreck it Ralph, The Lego Movie and channels the likes of Independence Day and is reminiscent of Ghostbusters to name a few. This highly under-appreciated scifi comedy is a feature-length adaptation of Patrick Jean's video- game themed short. There's something for everyone but if you're a 30 something or more you'll find it hard not to like this retro game blast of a movie complete with arcade slot machine sounds.

Opening in 1982 those with an appreciation of the late 70s and early 80s surely can't help but love the throwback gags. It then fast forwards to the present day with Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Peter Dinklage's characters all grown up. It's fast paced fun with aliens disguised as Hervé Villechaize, Madonna and President Reagan. The contemporary cheap quips about Gandalf and Harry Potter also hit the mark. As the grown up nerd gamers assist the President (James) to save the world it's good natured with a flood of one liners, fitting effects and a soundtrack emulating a bygone era. It's packed with references from StarWars to Tron, writers Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling induce nostalgia successfully.

The supporting cast include the likes of Brian Cox, Sean Bean and Dan Ackroyd to name a few. There's also some celebrity cameos including Serena Williams and Martha Stewart. Characters from classic arcade games such as Paperboy, Space Invaders, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong among many others appear.

Despite scattered anachronisms (who's checking) Columbus' Pixels is sorely underrated, it has great visuals and perfect comedy timing. It also has subtext about today's games. It's very entertaining, even if your 're not a retro gamer or and 8-bit lover, it still comes recommended.

Just watched this with my movie theatre-working friend who had watched this before and enjoyed it. I did too, though I knew this wasn't gonna be any greats shakes and it wasn't. There were some funny lines at the beginning and some of the video game gags did go a little well. Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, and Michelle Monaghan did well with their roles. When I saw the arcade and all those video games during the 1982 sequence, part of me felt some nostalgia for the times I spent with my brother and his friend playing those games at that kind of place. About the ending sequence taking place one year later: lame. Though really, this was pretty enjoyable so on that note, Pixels is worth a look.

I saw some bad reviews on here AFTER watching the movie, so I just thought I would add my own opinion. Why would you hate on a movie like this? Especially if you're my age and remember all these classic games. The cameos were outstanding, and I didn't expect it to win any Oscars. Man, some people need to lighten up. Was Ghostbusters trashed like this?

I guess the the way to describe this movie is Ghostbusters lit up in neon. Please see it just for the cgi, it's awesome. If you have the dvd look for the short on how they created one of the cute characters. The comedy is snappy, almost witty, and yet nothing new, but it works. You'll smile rather than laugh out loud. The story is absurd, which is exactly what we pay Hollywood for, and with this one they've outdone themselves. There's a classic chase. There's a great cameo appearance. There's a cleverly worded love affair. There's a great homage to nerds of the 1980s and overall, I thought, a really whacky satire of big budget invasion movies. It's just such fun.