Pixels (Quick Review)

There are three prime reasons someone would want to see Pixels—either they’re a Happy Madison Productions fan, a retro video game enthusiast, or a fan of both.  I went for the second reason (though I can be a Sandler fan pending on the film), the same reason Wreck-It Ralph intrigued me—the trailer showcased video games and I bought the bait.  I didn’t expect much, yet to my unexpected delight Pixels proved itself an enjoyably entertaining film.  The comedy was amusing, the references entertaining, and the characters surprisingly likable.

In terms of video game accuracy, Pixels…is actually pretty good.  Sure it makes up stuff here and there (mostly for film drama), but arcade enthusiasts should find satisfaction in Pixels’ satire.  The film even does a fair job comparing modern age video games (such as The Last of Us) to arcade games, avoiding the “old ways are superior, modern stuff sucks” viewpoint (which is unusual for a film focusing primarily on nostalgia).  Pixels is unexpectedly family friendly, comparable to the 1980s PG films where there’s swearing and crass humor, yet good morals and a minimal kill count—completely fitting with its 80s video game theme.  Though many primary school kids won’t get the film’s references, I truly appreciated Pixel’s softer vibe. 

The film’s pacing moves refreshingly quick for its type of story, getting right to the video game invasion while hurtling through the generic invasion tropes (nerd(s)/nobody(s) knows what’s happening, government is skeptical and tries doing it their way which of course fails, etc…).  What helps incredibly in this area is having Brenner’s (Adam Sandler) best friend Cooper (Kevin James) be the president of the United States; it’s such a wonderfully refreshing and unique idea for the invasion genre (or any genre for that matter), to have the nobody close friends with the Commander-in-chief.  The unique friendship is my favorite aspect of the film, providing hilarious bits such as Brenner getting back at Cooper for calling his job lame—shouting to the surrounding crowd “But Mr. President if you take away all of the libraries how will the children learn to read!?”

There’s comedy gold in Pixels, which its trailers surprisingly avoid spoiling (except for several Pac-Man related jokes); one scene has Cooper informing his cabinet “we’re being invaded by Galaga” to which his war-crazed general replies “Sons of b!%#hes!  Well then let’s go blow up the country Galaga!”  The comedy can be random at times, but it’s the type of surreal humor which works ideal for an already bizarre concept.  Pixels is an unexpectedly good film—I like the comedy, I like the pacing, I like the video game references, I like the characters, and I really like the best friend President concept.  It’s one of the few films based on actual video games I would recommend (which numbers can be counted on one hand).