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Pixels Blu-ray 3D Review

By Rachel Cericola

The Film

I spent a lot of time in the arcade as a kid. Defender was my game, but I didn't mind mixing things up with a little Ms. Pac Man, Joust, or even Q*bert. If I had a few extra quarters, I would spring for Dragon's Lair.

Sadly, as video games progressed, my abilities got left behind at the mall arcade. So to say that the previews for Pixels made me giddy would be an understatement. Not only is it a movie about classic video games, but it's a movie about classic video games that I actually know how to play.

But alas, this is an Adam Sandler movie. The guy hasn't exactly been on a creative roll lately. Could Pixels be game over for the Happy Madison crew? Well, it's not as horrible as you'd expect.

Pixels-PacMan.jpg
Countless hours of playing video games manages to come in handy in "Pixels." Photo: Sony Pictures.

Back in the day, Sam Brenner (Sandler) and Will Cooper (Kevin James) were video game nerds. Um, who wasn't? Sam played for keeps though, or at least for second place in the arcade game world championships. He lost the big prize to his nemesis, Eddie Plant (Peter Dinklage, who rocks a serious mullet). For posterity, the whole event was videotaped and the evidence was blasted into space -- because, well... otherwise, there would be no movie.

In the present day, Sam is a different kind of nerd. He works for the Nerd Brigade, a Geek Squad-esque firm that installs home theaters. During a job, he meets Lieutenant Colonel Violet van Patten (Michelle Monaghan), a non-nonsense mom who's going through a divorce. Oh, and to counteract any smidge of realism, Will is the President of the United States. No, really.

Of course, Will and Sam's wasted youth manages to come in handy when the planet is attacked by aliens who got a hold of the 1982 video and considered it to be a threat. To retaliate, they start sending creatures that look like classic video game characters to destroy the Earth.

I have to admit, this isn't a bad premise. Goofy, yes. However, it could have been really entertaining if executed properly. Instead, the film spends most of the 106-minute runtime cracking lame jokes, building a romance between Sam and Violet, and planting the seed that video game characters would be attacking the Earth. Just get on with it already!

Instead, they need to squeeze in a slew of other fringe characters. Brian Cox is a crabby admiral, Josh Gad is a nerdy conspiracy theorist (Olaf yells a lot!), and Jane Krakowski is the First Lady. There are also plenty of cameos, including Dan Aykroyd, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, Dan Patrick, Robert Smigel, Serena Williams, Martha Stewart, and Toru Iwatani (just not as Toru Iwatani, who was played by Denis Akiyama).

There are parts of Pixels that are actually a lot of fun. Sandler is the king of nostalgia and the sheer number of video game characters that make appearances, the cameos, and the general concept are all very enticing. It's definitely not the worst movie Sandler has produced over the years, but it's one of the most disappointing given the subject matter.

Got another quarter? You can get another peek at this movie in Matthew Passantino's theatrical review of Pixels.

The Picture

A movie about killer video games seems like it would be crying out for 3D effects. The 3D edition of Pixels certainly has its moments, but I actually found the viewing experience to be a lot more enjoyable with the 2D Blu-ray.

I will say that the 3D version does display some good depth, both during talkative scenes and when there's action. And when there's action, the 3D is sort of fun. However, this is a pretty dark movie and the 3D just isn't doing it any favors. In the first few moments, when Sam is installing the TV at Violet's house, it's just too dark. Even Sam's orange shirt is incredibly dim. That darkness carries throughout the movie and there's even a little crosstalk evident. All of this didn't kill the overall experience, but it did have me reaching for the 2D disc. It may not be as in-your-face, but the 2.39:1 image on the 2D version is much brighter, has better detail, and makes this movie a lot more fun to watch.

The Sound

It's completely awesome that Sony gave Pixels an Atmos track. What's not so awesome is that there's no Atmos on the 3D version of the movie. Meh. I had to knock my score down a half a point for that.

Don't get me wrong; the 3D version does have a very active DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track -- but it's 5.1 And it's not Atmos.

As with all of Sandler's movies, this film features tons of classic rock and really, it's hard to hate a movie that kicks off with very immersive Cheap Trick. Otherwise, dialogue is clear (even when spoken through a Chewbacca mask) and there are tons of explosions, instantly recognizable video game sounds, and other effects. The Atmos definitely adds another dimension, as it's supposed to do. It's most notable when aliens attack (Centipede!) throughout the film and in the film's climax. There's also a great scene with a parking garage crumbling, which may send you ducking for cover.

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The Extras

Adam Sandler in an action flick with classic video games seems like it would be prime fodder for an audio commentary, but you won't get that here. (Does he ever do commentaries?) Instead, the 2D Blu-ray has six super-short pieces on the video game characters in the movie -- or more specifically, the scenes each one is featured in. Otherwise, there's a photo gallery, a music video, a little over a minute with Toru Iwatani, and an equally short peek at someone who won a walk-on part for playing Space Invaders. Also, none of these extras are featured on the 3D disc, which only has a few 3D-enhanced movie previews.

Final Thoughts

I really like the idea behind Pixels -- and still do, even after seeing the movie. Believe it or not, I didn't think this movie was that bad. I've seen worse. I've even seen worse out of the Happy Madison camp. That said, I'm not sure it warrants a Blu-ray purchase. However, if you must indulge, don't bother with the 3D. The colors are too dim and the 3D effects aren't that memorable. Even worse, Sony didn't just ditch the Dolby Atmos for the 3D version, but they dropped the track down to 5.1. It's fine, but after experiencing the Dolby Atmos, it left me feeling a little cheated.

Product Details

  • Actors: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, Brian Cox, Ashley Benson
  • Director: Chris Columbus
  • Audio/Languages (3D): DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English, Portuguese), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French, Spanish, Thai), DVS 2.0 (English)
  • Audio/Languages (2D): Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (English), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Portuguese), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French, Spanish, Thai), DVS 2.0 (English)
  • Subtitles: English, English SDH, Cantonese (2D only), Chinese (Simplified, 2D only), Chinese (Traditional), French, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
  • Number of Discs: 4
  • Rating: PG-13
  • Studio: Sony
  • Blu-ray Disc Release Date: October 27, 2015
  • Run Time: 106 minutes
  • List Price: $35.99
  • Extras:
    • 3D Disc:
      • Previews
    • 2D Disc:
      • Pac-Man
      • Donkey Kong
      • Centipede
      • Galaga
      • Dojo Quest
      • Q*Bert
      • God of the Machine
      • "Game On" Music Video by Waka Flocka Flame Ft. Good Charlotte
      • The Space Invader
      • Photo Gallery
      • Previews
    • UltraViolet Digital Copy
    • Pixels Play Along Game App

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