Underplayed Gems

Pixels (2015)

Pixels poster
Directed by
Chris Columbus
Genre
science fiction film, live action, parody film, action comedy film, comic book
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 45m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
5.8 of 10 from 8,097 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Aliens attack Earth using classic arcade game characters as weapons. The U.S. president brings together a team of old arcade champions to fight back.

sillynostalgiclightheartedfast-pacedchaoticcampyfun

What happens

Pixels is a 2015 science fiction action comedy film directed by Chris Columbus from a screenplay by Tim Herlihy and Tim Dowling. Loosely adapted from the 2010 French short film by Patrick Jean, the film stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad and Brian Cox. In the film, an alien force misinterprets videotaped footage of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, resulting in them attacking Earth with technological recreations of icons from the games; the president of the United States assembles a team of former arcade champions to lead the planet's defense. Development on the film began in 2010, when Sandler obtained the rights to the short film via his Happy Madison Productions company and hired Herlihy to write the script. In 2013, Columbus entered talks to direct the film after being drawn to its nostalgic homage to 1980s arcade games such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders, all of which were licensed for use in the film. Principal photography took place in Toronto for three months, which involved extensive night shoots and practical sets. Post-production, led by Digital Domain and Sony Pictures Imageworks, focused on creating voxelized and three-dimensional versions of arcade game characters to integrate into the live-action footage. Pixels was released theatrically in the United States on July 24, 2015, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $245 million on a budget of $110 million. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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