Pixels (2015)

Film Type:

Feature

Language:

English

Colour Info:

Color

Sound Mix:

Auro-3D, Datasat Digital Sound, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound

Camera:

ARRI ALEXA XT

Frame Rate:

24 fps

Aspect Ratio:

2.35:1

Stereoscopy:

No

Archival Source:

QubeVault

Taglines:

Game on.
It's time to save the World

Filming Locations:

Goofs:

Miscellaneous
In the opening scenes, set in 1982, characters discuss their favorite celebrities. Madonna and Samantha Fox are among those mentioned, but although their careers began in 1982, neither of these women was a "celebrity" then.

Miscellaneous
It is established early on that the aliens are basing their appearance and attacks after arcade game footage from the year 1982. However, several of the game figures that the aliens use for their patterns are from games released after that year, such as Tetris (1984), Arkanoid (1986), and Paperboy (1985). One of the games referenced, Duck Hunt, was not only released after 1982 but was a home-console only game. In addition, the aliens communicate through manipulated video footage of celebrities, ostensibly from the same year. Again, several of three celebrities -- such as Madonna, Tammy Faye Bakker, and Max Headroom -- had not achieved cultural prominence by 1982, assuming that they had even entered pop culture at all by that year.

Miscellaneous
In the final act, the main character from Paperboy emerges from the ship. Paperboy came out in 1985, 3 years after the probe was sent into space.

Continuity
The sword on Ludlow's neck changes position in two shots.

Factual Mistake
Although the movie is titled "Pixels", the attacking aliens are actually composed of voxels.

Miscellaneous
An important plot point hinges on a character knowing cheat codes for the arcade cabinet versions of "Donkey Kong" and "Pac-Man" that would have been commercially available by 1982. However, neither of these games had exploitable cheat codes built into the game, and the character is not seen exploiting any potential bugs in the program (such as "Pac-Man"'s "split screen" that occurs should the game reach level 256). In addition, the codes are shown on screen for a brief moment and appear to reference buttons that neither cabinet had as standard. They appear to be more in line with the famous Konami Code, which was first a feature of home console games, not arcade cabinets.

Trivia:

The movie's video game high scores are based on real scores. Sam Brenner's Pac-Man high score of 3,333,360 is the highest attainable Pac-Man score, first achieved by Billy Mitchell (a higher score is possible on the Namco Pac-Man Anniversary edition machines). Ludlow Lamonsoff's Centipede score of 16,389,548 is one point higher than the real-life marathon world record set by Jim Schneider. Eddie Plant's Donkey Kong score of 1,068,100 is 100 points higher than Hank Chien's former world record.

Although Denis Akiyama plays a fictionalized version of Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani, the real Iwatani also appears in the film. Iwatani did not play himself because he doesn't speak English.

According to Chris Columbus, Eddie Plant is based on a number of 1980s video gamers, including: Richie Knuckelz (tattoos), Patrick Scott Patterson (sunglasses & pose), Ken House (aversion to sleeves), and Billy Mitchell (haircut).

Lamonsoff is a recurring surname in Adam Sandler's films under the Happy Madison label. It's a tribute Sandler's college roommate, Eric Lamonsoff, who has made cameo appearances in Sandler films.

There were no cheat codes on the original Pac-Man and Donkey Kong arcade games, only a few glitches which most likely would not have helped the character Eddie win at the beginning of the film and definitely not as a ghost against Pac-Man.

Jennifer Aniston turned down the female lead role.

Although the character from the Paperboy game emerges from the ship in the final act of the film, that game did not come out until 1985, 3 years after the movie states the probe is sent into space.

Chris Columbus said that Kevin James as President was modeled after New Jersey governor Chris Christie.

Dan Aykroyd co-founded and co-owns Crystal Skull Vodka, which the two main characters drink in the pub after the Centipede battle in England.

This is the ninth film or television series in which Kevin James and Adam Sandler have appeared together.

Peter Dinklage and Sean Bean previously starred in Game Of Thrones together.

This film is based on a 2010 short film by French director Patrick Jean and distributed by One More Productions.

Chris Columbus's first collaboration with Adam Sandler.

Peter Dinklage and Jane Krakowski previously worked together on one episode of "30 Rock."

In The Wedding Ringer (2015) Josh Gad says Pac-Man was his favorite superhero. In this film, he has to fight Pac-Man.

Andrew Bambridge, who plays a young Eddie Plant, is the pianist and accompanying singer of The Accomplices, an amateur band that has won Battle of the Bands twice.

Shares it's plot with a segment from the 2002 "Futurama (1999)" episode "Anthology of Interest II (s4e3)" titled "Raiders of the Lost Arcade"

Adam Sandler uses the same voice from Happy Gilmore (1996) to say "Somebody's more important" in the tone of "Somebody's closer".

Adam Sandler's wife and daughter both make cameo appearances in this film

Matt Frewer portrays an alien version of the character, Max Headroom; a role he made famous in the 1980s TV movie and series of the same name. This would be the first time he's appeared as Max Headroom in decades.

Adam Sandler appeared in the 1998 comedy "The Wedding Singer" while co-star Josh Gad appeared in the 2015 comedy "The Wedding Ringer".

Also shown in IMAX 3D.

When we first see Ludlow's bedroom, on top of the television are a Super Fright Features Egon and a Super Fright Features Ray action figure from The Real Ghostbusters toy line by Kenner. These figures were from a toy line where the Ghostbusters were facing off against ghosts in space, which is appropriate since the film is essentially Ghostbusters but fighting video game characters from space.

Ludlow's last name is Lamonsoff. Kevin James' character on Grown Ups 1 & 2 is Eric Lamonsoff.

Adam Sandler: the girl with the lemonade stand.

Sean Bean survives.

In the earlier trailers, Kevin James, on the mothership, says the line, "Don't tell anybody I killed a Smurf." In later versions of the trailer, the line is changed from "killed" to "pixelated". In the actual movie, the original line remains, but it is said by a different person (Monaghan) in a different location (streets of DC).

In the trailer after Sandler says,"Donkey Kong," James says," How bad can it hurt?" and a barrel is thrown down at him. In the movie, the line is changed to, "The one game you suck at."

Body Count: N/A (includes Donkey Kong, the Centipedes, Pac-Man and the dozens of sprites)

Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced that the trailer for Adam Sandler’s “Pixels” has generated 34.3 million views worldwide in its first 24 hours online.

Filming Start Date:

02 Jun 0014