Pixels , the new movie starring Adam Sandler and a smattering of beloved retro video game characters like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, hits this Friday. In anticipation of the release, reviews for Pixels have started pouring in, and they haven’t been too kind to the arcade-inspired movie.
Pixels , inspired by an excellent short film of the same name , pits a team of retro game fanatics played by Adam Sandler (who recently spoke out about the controversy over his next movie, The Ridiculous Six) , Josh Gad, and Peter Dinklage against an alien race invading earth who have taken the form of arcade characters from the 80s. Also starring is Michelle Monaghan and Kevin James, Monaghan playing an Army Lieutenant and James playing the President who gets the team together.
Described by Bilge Ebiri of Vulture , “Alas, Sandler plays it all so awkwardly that any meaning is lost amid a queasy sea of awkward pauses and halfhearted line-delivery.”
“The film is bad — worse even than it looks, probably — but by that point it had achieved such throwaway weirdness that instead of staring stone-faced at how bland and unfunny it all was, I found myself giggling at its sheer idiocy. That’s probably the idea, to some extent, as any movie where Kevin James plays the president of the United States clearly doesn’t want you engaging with it on a deeper level. But it’s hard not to look at Pixels and feel like Sandler & Co. missed a huge opportunity here.”
Other critics don’t look upon Pixels much more favorably. Andrew O’Hehir of Salon says, “For a movie that’s supposedly about delivering weightless, uncomplicated fun, Pixels is an overwhelmingly sad experience.”
Many critics took note of Pixels ‘ two-dimensional leads, each one given a stereotypical and borderline offensive nerd caricature like something one would see ripped out of a 90s sitcom. The movie doesn’t treat its leading women much better, either. As noted in a notably brutal review by MovieBob on Youtube , the movie turns one of the two female leads into an almost literal trophy to serve as a reward by the end of the movie.
Only time will tell if Pixels will end up being a success at the box office. At the time of publication the movie currently holds a RottenTomatoes rating of 9 percent , with reviews still coming in leading up to release. In the meantime, check out the original Pixels short film that inspired the movie, embedded below.
[Image via Sony Pictures ]