What’s it about?
When aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth in the form of the video games.
What did we think?
Amy Currie says: You know what’s a really good video game movie? Wreck-It Ralph. Wreck-It Ralph is funny, moving and has a plot that makes sense. Wreck-It Ralph isn’t confused about whether it’s supposed to be for children or adults. Wreck-It Ralph entertains both without resorting to recurring jokes about slut-seeking missiles. Nobody repeatedly screams ‘bitch’ in Wreck-It Ralph, and nobody receives an adoring scantily-clad warrior woman who never speaks as a (quite literal) trophy. No beloved video game characters urinate on themselves. In Wreck-It Ralph, the King of Queens is not the President of the United States.
Watch Wreck-It Ralph, watch the not-half-bad 2010 short film on which Pixels was based or watch the episode of Futurama with a similar alien-video-game-battle plot. Do not, under any circumstances, watch Pixels.
As an 80’s baby myself, it was intriguing to see a film bring my arcade enemies to life up on the big screen. Admittedly, I was hesitant to see another of Adam Sandler’s quests to make sure him and Kevin James’ families stay rich, but honestly this wasn’t as bad as previous films would suggest. That said, as amusing as it was to see the likes of Donkey Kong, Centipede, Q-Bert (and Peter Dinklage) warble around the plot, it was less so watching everyone else. Jokes don’t land, many scenes seem pointless, but in the end you can’t fault this harshly, it’s meant to be silly. Aliens think humans sent a challenge, they respond in kind, four video game junkies save the day and it’s all tied up in bright effects and an 80’s soundtrack. Kids will love it and the nostalgia in you will get an extra life. 3.5 stars from me.