We at TG have very fond memories of the gold old days of gaming, which is why we’re somewhat curious about the new Adam Sandler movie Pixels. It has an interesting concept with aliens using video game icons like Pac Man and Donkey Kong to attack the world, and it’s also clearly trying to go for a Ghostbusters kind of vibe, which we’re definitely all for.
So the official reviews are in, what’s the verdict? Well, as can be expected, Adam Sandler’s never been a critics darling, and Pixel hasn’t turned that around. Variety tells us, “Sandler presses a lot of buttons but mostly phones it in in this dim-witted ‘80s nostalgia trip…a life-sized version of Q*bert is easily the most engaging character in Pixels.”
Variety also called the movie “slapdash, casually sexist…the actor’s delight in playing the egregiously stupid man-child has slowly calcified into laziness bordering on fatigue…there’s no joy left in his shtick.”
The Hollywood Reporter was kinder, calling the movie “fun,” but it “overstays its welcome…Pixels is no Wreck-It Ralph…this one-note comedy runs out of gas within an hour and should have been trimmed to a neat 90 minutes.”
