Putting the mobility and practicality of a GoPro camera to good effect, Sony Pictures has today released a new behind-the-scenes clip for Chris Columbus’ upcoming actioner Pixels, which showcases some of the stuntwork and action scenes as earth is besieged by invading alien lifeforms.
What makes the Adam Sandler-led film so intriguing, though, is that these oncoming extra-terrestrials will take the form of beloved 80s video game characters. From Pac-Man to Donkey Kong, Galaga to Space Invaders, each and every trailer coming out of Sony Pictures’ budding blockbuster has been a blast of nostalgia for those who grew up controlling and/or fighting the pixelated creations.
Mind you, invading aliens isn’t the most preposterous plot point within Pixels, as it stars Paul Blart: Mall Cop‘s Kevin James as the POTUS who will likely go down as one of the more bizzare picks for the Oval Office in quite some time. Then again, Columbus’ feature is showing every sign of embracing its quirky premise, and though we fear it is the video game characters that will likely sport better personalities than their human co-stars, the fact that it had Columbus at the helm is worth the price of admission.
Patrick Jean’s brilliant vision will be brought to life with a Hollywood budget when Chris Columbus’ picture hits theaters on July 24. Joining James are Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage and Denis Akiyama as Pac-Man creator Tōru Iwatani.
When intergalactic aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults. President Will Cooper (James) has to call on his childhood best friend, ’80s video game champion Sam Brenner (Sandler), now a home theater installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Dinklage and Gad) to defeat the aliens and save the planet.
