--- title: "Pixels" year: 2015 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/pixels" fi1m_score: 36 critics_score: 34 critics_reviews: 20 published: "2026-09-16T15:13:23.868784+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T15:13:33.428657+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Pixels (2015) Directed by Chris Columbus · 1h 46m · MPA PG-13 · Action, Comedy, Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy **Fi1m score: 36** · Critics 34 from 20 reviews *In a sentence:* An alien invasion gives Adam Sandler one more reason to look inconvenienced > Chris Columbus makes a few playful sights out of an arcade-game invasion, but Adam Sandler’s weary performance and the slack, unfunny script leave *Pixels* a poor comedy. ## Synopsis Earth is attacked by aliens using the shapes of 1980s arcade-game characters, turning old games into threats outside the cabinet. Brenner (Adam Sandler) is among the players whose gaming knowledge now matters to the planet’s defence. Cooper (Kevin James) is president, faced with an invasion that calls for skills beyond the usual military response. Ludlow (Josh Gad), another arcade player, becomes involved as the human response takes shape. Brenner wants to help stop the attacks, but recognising the enemy is only a start: the games now threaten people rather than a high score. ## Review *Pixels* has enough of an idea for a lively family adventure and too little good comedy to make one. Chris Columbus sets arcade-game enthusiasts against an alien invasion, giving skills learnt in the 1980s a sudden practical use. There is an obvious pleasure in seeing people dismissed as overgrown children become useful during an emergency. The film expects that pleasure to carry an awful lot of slack dialogue and waiting about. At 106 minutes, it feels longer than its supply of jokes permits. Brenner, played by Adam Sandler, is the main difficulty. A reluctant hero still needs to make us interested in what happens to him, and this performance offers weariness where curiosity or panic might have helped. Kevin James plays Cooper, the president, without making that unlikely appointment much fun in itself. Peter Dinklage gives Eddie some welcome comic energy, and Josh Gad at least makes Ludlow seem excited to be involved. Their effort makes the lead’s lack of it harder to overlook. Then the effects briefly improve matters. We perked up when solid objects broke into digital blocks, because the destruction finally had something playful about it. Amir Mokri’s cinematography makes the action readable, although the shots seldom hold much interest beyond the animated threat. Peter Wenham’s production design supplies surroundings that feel underused: we notice what can be demolished more readily than anything worth exploring. The computer-generated creatures get most of the attention, and for once that seems a sensible choice. Timothy Dowling and Tim Herlihy’s screenplay keeps treating the appearance of an old game as though it were a joke. The memory might earn a smile, but it cannot keep a whole scene going. The banter relies on the assumption that these men are funny together, without giving them much that is funny to say. Michelle Monaghan’s Violet has little room in a fantasy so busy congratulating its male players. The childish sexual politics make the intended warmth harder to find, particularly when the film already asks so much indulgence for its hero. Hughes Winborne’s editing leaves too many gaps around that banter, while Henry Jackman’s score works harder at excitement than at helping the comedy along. The action fares better, with Chris Columbus keeping the encounters reasonably clear, but the relief is temporary. Once the film returns to conversation, it begins waiting for laughs that do not arrive. We were bored by those pauses, especially after the effects had shown how much more briskly the film could move. An adventure comedy needs people worth following, a threat worth watching and jokes that do not stop the story dead. There is no need for sophistication here; some enthusiasm from the central performance would have been a useful start. The supporting actors suggest how easily this might have become an agreeable evening, and their willingness to look ridiculous deserves a better response from the script. If old arcade games are the attraction, be prepared to spend much of the running time waiting for the people to get out of their way. *Fi1m score 36, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics find Pixels a promising arcade-game invasion comedy undone by a lazy script, sluggish pacing and jokes that seldom land. Praise clusters around the pixelated effects and a handful of action set-pieces, while Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad receive credit for supplying energy missing from Adam Sandler’s performance. The prevailing complaint is that the film relies on recognition of 1980s games without doing enough to make that nostalgia funny; several reviews also object to its juvenile treatment of women. The disagreement centres on whether the visual spectacle and retro premise provide enough compensation. NME offers the clearest positive response, finding likeable fun and decent gags despite Sandler, while Deadline sees entertainment for children beneath the uneven writing and pacing. Even the effects divide opinion: Slant Magazine finds the digital game characters charmless. The spread runs from modest enjoyment to outright exasperation, but the negative consensus is firm. ### Reviews we read (20) - **Screen Daily** (55/100, inferred): The film is a competent if unremarkable package of comedy, action and 80s nostalgia that should appeal to families but feels tame for adults and insufficiently fun for kids; Dinklage's lively turn and the 3D effects are highlighted positively. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/pixels-review/5090785.article) - **The AV Club**, Jesse Hassenger (C-): The premise that Adam Sandler plays a self-identified nerd is implausible, and the film is not very good overall despite some energy from supporting actors like Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage. It plays like a slapdash Happy Madison production with leaden direction and unfunny banter. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/pixels-fails-to-make-a-case-for-adam-sandler-as-a-nerd-1798184418) - **Empire**, William Thomas (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film has potential in its video game concept and effects but ultimately consists of only a few fun set-pieces amid dull filler and unappealing characters. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/pixels-review/) - **Radio Times**, Victoria Luxford (2/5): Impressive effects fail to mask an inane plot and childish humour; Sandler coasts on autopilot while co-stars like Josh Gad provide the few laughs, but the muddled tone and juvenile references draw more groans than smiles. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-enqjng/pixels/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (40/100, inferred): The film offers isolated moments of amusement as a send-up of alien-invasion movies but runs out of gas quickly and overstays its welcome. It may appeal more to kids than to adults invested in 1980s video game nostalgia. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/pixels-film-review-809948/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Mark Olsen (30/100, inferred): The film takes a spectacular premise and treats it flatly with no sense of wonder, squandering a solid idea with built-in charm. The scattered parts never come together in a coherent whole. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-pixels-review-20150724-story.html) - **The New York Times**, Neil Genzlinger (30/100, inferred): The film is a special-effects eyeful burdened by yet another Adam Sandler man-child role and unoriginal 1980s nostalgia that has already been mined elsewhere. Special effects are pretty cool despite the lack of originality. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/24/movies/review-in-pixels-attack-of-the-retro-video-games.html) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (30/100, inferred): The big-budget Adam Sandler blockbuster is deemed too dumb for actual 1980s gamers and too lame for kids, aimed strictly at Sandler completists in a loosely sketched world where the president is Kevin James. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/pixels-ng7dzv2rhpx) - **Variety**, Justin Chang (30/100, inferred): Adam Sandler phones it in with this dim-witted '80s nostalgia trip, offering mild visual distraction but no joy in the shtick. An adorable Q*bert is the most engaging character in an otherwise slapdash, casually sexist fantasy. [Read](https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/pixels-review-adam-sandler-1201541731/) - **Slant Magazine**, Christopher Gray (1/4): As a Happy Madison production, the film is exhaustively lazy in its valorization of the man-child, with director Chris Columbus softening it into family-friendly fare lacking visual imagination. It renders 8-bit icons chunky and charmless in CGI while indulging in misguided, infantilizing humor. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/pixels/) - **Little White Lies**, Chris Blohm (2/1/1): The critic finds the film a cheerless calamity with outdated gender politics and poor execution, praising only the initial nostalgic moments before it falls apart. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/pixels) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (20/100, inferred): The critic urges viewers to run from this sci-fi comedy about arcade-game addicts defending Earth from space invaders. The film is seen as another low point for Adam Sandler, relying on nostalgia and pop-culture references while indulging in poor sexual politics. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/13/pixels-review-adam-sandler-comedy) - **Vulture**, David Edelstein (20/100, inferred): The film is slow, dumb, and filled with empty pauses, showcasing Adam Sandler at his weariest under somnolent direction from Chris Columbus. It approaches cult-film weirdness through sheer idiocy but remains a bad movie. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2015/07/movie-review-pixels-could-use-a-reset.html) - **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (10/100, inferred): The film is dismissed as complete rubbish that relies on unearned Gen-X nostalgia and features an exhausted Sandler performance, with cheap graphics and a misguided Ghostbusters vibe singled out for complaint. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/pixels) - **NME**, Angus Batey (3.5/5): The critic praises the film's geeky concept, visual effects, and decent gags, calling it likeable summertime fun despite Sandler being a weak link. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-16216-311529) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (60/100, inferred): The film is better than most recent Adam Sandler comedies and offers stupid summer fun for kids thanks to its retro video game elements. The special effects are first-rate and enjoyable, though the pacing and script are uneven. [Read](https://deadline.com/2015/07/pixels-review-adam-sandler-1201483172/) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2/5): The critic finds the '80s arcade nostalgia concept promising but criticizes the lazy script and Adam Sandler's sophomoric comedy for undermining the fun. The video game set pieces provide some highlights. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/pixels-review/) - **Consequence** (30/100, inferred): The critic finds Pixels a lazy cash-in on '80s nostalgia that fails to grasp its source material and treats its geek comedy in a pandering, Big Bang Theory-style way. Some praise goes to the visual flair of the pixelated CG setpieces and the comedic contributions of Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage. [Read](https://consequence.net/2015/07/film-review-pixels/) - **Digital Spy**, Ben Rawson-Jones (30/100, inferred): The review deems the film a failure due to a poor script that doesn't effectively use Sandler as hero and ineffective 3D, though Columbus directs the action sequences competently. It fails to capture nostalgia like Guardians of the Galaxy. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a663135/pixels-review-youre-better-off-watching-a-game-of-pong/) - **The Wrap** (20/100, inferred): The movie is a thoroughly numbing experience with a lazy, entitled fantasy premise that fails to deliver. It singles out the thrilling special effects of matter evaporating into digitized blocks for limited praise amid overall criticism of the characters and humor. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/pixels-review-adam-sandler-kevin-james-josh-gad/) ## Details - **Director:** Chris Columbus - **Director:** Chris Columbus - **Screenplay:** Tim Herlihy, Timothy Dowling - **Story:** Patrick Jean - **Cinematography:** Amir Mokri - **Editor:** Hughes Winborne - **Music:** Henry Jackman - **Production design:** Peter Wenham - **Costume design:** Christine Wada - **Producer:** Mark Radcliffe, Chris Columbus, Allen Covert - **Cast:** Adam Sandler as Brenner; Kevin James as Cooper; Michelle Monaghan as Violet; Peter Dinklage as Eddie; Josh Gad as Ludlow; Matt Lintz as Matty; Brian Cox as Admiral Porter; Denis Akiyama as Professor Iwatani - **Runtime:** 1h 46m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 24 July 2015 - **Genres:** Action, Comedy, Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy - **Budget:** $88 million - **Box office:** $245 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5kTR1MGBuw ## Where to watch in the US - Tubi: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Last Starfighter* (1984): Another arcade player faces interstellar trouble, with rather more affection for its hero. - *Galaxy Quest* (1999): Unlikely space heroes, affectionate nostalgia and jokes that work without recognising the references. - *Attack the Block* (2011), Fi1m 84: An alien invasion with sharper jokes and a properly convincing gang of underdogs. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block.md) - *Kung Fu Hustle* (2004): Cartoon destruction and ridiculous fighters, staged with the precision this sort of comedy needs. - *Wreck-It Ralph* (2012): Arcade nostalgia with characters whose lives matter beyond the next familiar game reference. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/pixels