MOVIE REVIEW: PIXELS

Shane | 22 September 2015 | Reply

MOVIE REVIEW: PIXELS
Directed by Chris Columbus
Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Sean Bean, Dan Ackroyd
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
6 1/2 /10

At the root of Pixels is a remarkably clever idea: aliens invade Earth in the guise of pixelated ‘80s arcade video games. In the right hands that has all the makings of a classic film.

Enter Adam Sandler, King of the dumbed-down US comedy, and dumbed down is exactly what you get. Now, don’t get me wrong: Sandler can be as funny as the next man – or, more properly, as funny as the everyman he plays persistently in almost every film he makes – but there’s a formula to his work both as an actor and producer that lends a certain predictability to his films.

Pixels isn’t a bad movie – provided, that is, you’re willing to excuse the massive plot holes, lack of continuity, and near-complete absence of drama, and simply enjoy the excellent special effects, the action, the sarcastic one liners, and cheer as the good guys save the day (oh come ON – you must be kidding if you think THAT is a spoiler!!).

With IMDB listing no less than FIVE producers (including Sandler), a co-producer and TWELVE executive producers, it’s easy to see how the end result can be so patchy and confused – but I will wager that an Academy Award wasn’t on their radar when making Pixels: a profit was. By dumbing it down and aiming squarely at the U.S. teen-to-twenties, Pixels’ profit (much like it’s plot) is a no-brainer.