starry42

I, like many other kids growing up in the 90s, loved to read R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" books, as well as watch the TV show. When I first heard that a movie was being made for 2015, I was a little worried. One part of me thought it was two decades too late for a movie, and the other part discovered a resurgence in popularity of the series for the new generation. My worries continued when I found out that Jack Black had been cast as R.L. Stine. I've always been mixed on Mr. Black. For every hit film he's had (e.g. School of Rock), he's had a couple of misses (e.g. Envy, Gulliver's Travels). When I saw the first trailer, I caught a glimpse of hope for it being decent, and boy were my hopes delivered.

The story involves a teen boy named Zach, who has just moved to a new town. As is typical of this cliché, he does not like it and wants to go back home. He does manage to make a couple of new friends. A strange dorky boy named Champ, and the girl next door named Hannah, who has a very mysterious father. Her father is later revealed to be none other than R.L. Stine, the world renowned author of Goosebumps. One night, when Zach and Champ sneak into the Stine house, they come across a bookshelf full of Goosebumps manuscripts. Upon opening one, they come to a startling conclusion: the stories are alive. This becomes a bigger problem when Slappy the living ventriloquist dummy (voiced by Jack Black) comes to life and begins to spread the manuscripts across town, unleashing many Goosebumps monsters to wreak havoc onto the town. What follows is a fun and exciting adventure to stop these monsters.

As far as the characters go, the teen characters are nothing really special. They are basically your cardboard teens, including the new kid in town and the dork who tries to be a hero. The actor who steals the show, however, is Jack Black. He portrays a funny fictional version of R.L. Stine, making him out to be an egomaniac who thrives on his success and despises Stephen King.

All in all, I was surprised at how much I really liked the movie. It was a fun nostalgia trip, and fans from the 90s will appreciate it for that reason. The newer fans will probably like it too.

So far this decade, Adam Sandler has churned out one awful movie after another. From "Jack & Jill" to "That's My Boy", his efforts at entertainment have been atrocious. Then along comes "Pixels", which shows possible signs of redemption for Mr. Sandler.

"Pixels" is simply an enjoyable and fun day at the cinema, and it does not try to be anything more. Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, and Peter Dinklage team up as four video game experts who come from different walks of life. Sandler is a TV installer, James is the president of the United States, Gad is a conspiracy theorist, and Dinklage is a criminal. They are called to order when an alien race sends down attack squadrons in the form of classic video game characters. From Pac-Man to Donkey Kong, it appears that the world is headed for a disaster of pixelated proportions. Can Sandler and his gang save the world, or is it game over?

Director Chris Columbus, who wrote classic 80s films like "Gremlins" and "The Goonies" and directed classics like "Home Alone" and the first two Harry Potter films, did a great job at bringing all these characters to life. The effects look pretty impressive, and the chemistry among the actors is certainly believable.

Bottom line, I enjoyed the film as both a gamer and a sucker for 80s pop-culture, which there is plenty of referenced. In the end, I would recommend it to those with these similar taste. It is certainly not a movie for everyone.