It's only after seeing Pixels that I have heard about the boycott against it for being a sexist movie that is trying to deny it's sexist nature. I can't honestly say that knowing that prior to me seeing the film would have stopped me, as it probably would have just intrigued me more, and in the interests of wanting to make my own informed opinions I think I would have seen the movie anyway.
Having seen it I can't honestly say that I know what the fuss was about. Yes there is an over sexualised female character who is the object of desire for Josh Gad's character. But from what little knowledge I have of the gaming industry I believe she is based on characters from games like Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider. Is it therefore the filmmakers fault that she is sexualised, or the makers of the games on which she is based? I mean you could argue that the Pac Man character is too round or yellow, but he's based on an existing character? The same people who have accused the film of being sexist have also seemingly overlooked the female Colonel character portrayed by Michelle Monaghan. Yes she has her moments of weakness (which I think are justified given her character's circumstances) but she is as badass as the boys and is much more than a love interest.
Debating aside I quite enjoyed the movie which is about aliens coming to take over the earth - with a twist. The twist being that a time capsule sent into space in the early 80s (to show our lives and culture) was taken by the aliens as a threat. They saw video games which seemed to be calling them out for a battle, and so when the aliens arrive for a showdown, they appear in the form of the characters they saw in the capsule. I was surprised to find that the so-called hero of the hour, Adam Sandler, has toned down his usual annoying tendencies and whilst he's never going to be a great actor, he was more than watchable and you did find yourself rooting for the geeks to win.
It's been touted as an action comedy and whilst I enjoyed it fine, I wouldn't say it was funny. The action sequences were different from the norm however owing to the addition of the game characters. I didn't really see why the movie needed to be in 3D though, as old games used to be 2D so this seemed an unnecessary gimmick.
Save yourself a few quid and see it in 2D if you're going to see it at the cinema, but it's probably only worth it if you're a retro games fan. 6 out of 10.
Viewing Date ~ 28th July 2015
UK Release Date ~ 12th August 2015
Cast Overview:
Adam Sandler ~ Sam Brenner
Kevin James ~ President Will Cooper
Michelle Monaghan ~ Lieutenant Colonel Violet Van Patten
Peter Dinklage ~ Eddie Plant
Josh Gad ~ Ludlow Lamonsoff
Brian Cox ~ Admiral Porter
Sean Bean ~ Corporal Hill
Jane Krakowski ~ First Lady Jane Cooper
Dan Aykroyd ~ 1982 Championship MC
Director ~ Chris Columbus
Writers ~ Tim Herlihy (Screenplay and Screen Story), Timothy Dowling (Screenplay), Patrick Jean (Short Film).
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