Pixels

Aliens attack Earth with an army of characters from 1980s video games (Pac-Man, Centipede, Asteroids, etc.), which they picked up from the time capsule on a deep-space probe; in response, the United States president (Kevin James), calls on his fellow former arcade nerds (Adam Sandler, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage) to fight back. Directed by Chris Columbus and adapted by Tim Herlihy from a two-minute short by Patrick Jean, the movie feels heavily padded at 105 minutes, and there are several sloppy touches (Michelle Monaghan plays an Army officer but wears a Navy uniform). But there are amusing touches too: some funny dialogue (especially in the early scenes), a wealth of retro-'80s musical nostalgia on the soundtrack and several amusing guest-star cameos. Columbus even manages to make Sandler less obnoxious than usual. J.L.