SEATTLE -- The year was 1982 - and a video tape was sent into outer space, featuring clips of pop culture. Three decades later, the message has been received - and misinterpreted. Aliens think it's a threat and come to earth to fight, in the form of vintage video games.
That's the premise of pixels - one hour and 38 minutes of nostalgia-driven action featuring a cast who grew up in arcades themselves - and didn't mind honing their skills in between takes.
The movie features everything from well-known characters like Frogger and Centipede, to long-forgotten ones like Q-bert. Their images, and signature sounds, translated into 2015 special effects.
"It brings you back, it's like a song or something, you hear that one note of it and you're like boom, you go back to a time when, whatever it is, you were younger and innocent," says star Kevin James.
For all its potentially clever components, Pixels doesn't sustain a sense of joy or discovery. The script is flat, and the characters are one note. Audiences who remember the games will at least appreciate the premise… and maybe even visit an arcade after the credits roll.
