Get ready for a new kind of Adam Sandler movie—Kevin James is still a constant, but in Pixels, there are aliens and real-life video games involved, too!
Sandler teams up with Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad and Michelle Monaghan to save the world from vintage arcade characters, but as you can see in this newly released trailer, it's not easy fighting Pac-Man!
Yes, even Sandler is shocked as he comes to the realization, "Pac-Man is a bad guy?"
So how is it that Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger and a host of other (formerly) beloved arcade characters made their way out of the '80s and into our world?! As the Pixels trailer explains, a 1982 time capsule with examples of our life and culture was sent into space, and while it was "intended as a message of peace," it was unfortunately "taken the wrong way" by the aliens who received it.
Their response? A Pixels voiceover explains this and the movie's overall premise quite concisely, saying, "Some alien life force has sent real-life video games to attack us."
Panic onset! These video game characters are larger than life and much more powerful than their stuck-behind-a-screen counterparts. A building-size Pac-Man has no trouble chomping through cars in the city street, and James learns the hard way, even "just a barrel" thrown by Donkey Kong can hurt quite badly.
At one point, Gad realizes the "only way to take down Pac-Man is with ghosts." Dinklage leads the charge on this one, driving fearlessly after the almighty arcade character. Sandler reminds his team, "We're the only ones who can do this," although at another point he jokes to his family, "I'm kidding! We are all gonna die. I'm just--sorry."
But Pac-Man's creator, a professor, comes into the picture, reassuring his fellow earthlings, "Pac-Man is not bad! I will talk to him. He's my son..."
Pac-Man's "father" approaches his now enormous creation without fear. "Look how big you've gotten," he exclaims. "I know, you're a good boy..."
But when dad gets too close—CHOMP! Pac-Man bites! "Somebody annihilate this stupid thing," the professor screams, running away.
Can Sandler and Co. do it? You'll have to wait and see. Pixels hits theaters July 24.