Lord, I simply do not know about this at all.
Being a film that’s based on something that was based on something doesn’t exactly give Pixels the greatest platform to build off of – after all, when start photocopying photocopies, the quality dims significantly.
But there’s both good and worrying signs for the film, which is based on the concept of classic arcade game characters – such as Pacman and Donkey Kong – and terrorising Earth, leaving it up to a troupe of video game champions and their mates to sort things out.
The good? The film’s cast has more than its fair share of gems, including Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, Jane Krakowski, Sean Bean, Brian Cox, Michelle Monaghan and Ashley Benson.
The bad? It’s also got Adam Sandler and Kevin James.
Fortunately though, the film has mostly been kept separate from Sandler’s usual crop of Happy Madison filmmakers, instead saddling up Chris Columbus to direct (whose previous efforts are a motley crew of super films like Harry Potter & The Philospher’s Stone/& the Chamber of Secrets and Home Alone 1 & 2).
Unfortunately that only applies to the directorial side of things, with Sandler’s long-time collaborater Tim Herlihy providing a last pass over the script.
Whatever the case, the film is actually happening. It is inevitable. We can’t avoid it. July 24th of this year it is released, upon which we will all be living in a post-Pixels world.
You can make up your own mind as to whether the film looks like it has potential, and grit your teeth and brace yourself for its wide release accordingly.
But in the meantime it’s best to take a quick trip back to its source material in the form of Patrick Jean‘s excellent 2010 internet short film of the same name.
If Billy Mitchell hasn’t been given a cameo somewhere in the film, I’ll eat my damned hat.
