What are we to make of ‘Pixels,’ the big budget feature adaptation of a cute short film that made the internet rounds a few years back? On one hand, it’s a cute premise. But it stars Adam Sandler. It’s the next film by Chris Columbus, who has made his fair share of amusing family adventures. But it stars Adam Sandler. It features the acting talents of the great Peter Dinklage and the often funny Josh Gad. But it stars Adam Sandler. However, these new posters for the film don’t feature Sandler’s name or face, so consider this a good start.

The visually striking posters sell the premise of the film surprisingly well: Earth is assaulted by aliens who arrive in the form of classic video game characters. Naturally, the only people capable of stopping the extraterrestrial armada are a trio of old school gamers whose seemingly wasted hours in front of arcade cabinets have perfectly prepared them to save the world.

Each poster depicts a different video game character menacing a famous city. Pac-Man devours San Francisco, an alien from Space Invaders descends on Paris, and the title creature from Centipede hovers over London, etc. If you forget for a moment that this is a movie that stars Adam Sandler, they actually look like they’re selling a totally cool idea that twists our desperate thirst for nostalgia in a genuinely interesting way.

But Adam Sandler.

‘Pixels’ will open on July 24, 2015. The first trailer will be attached to screenings of ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,’ which opens tomorrow. Expect to get a better look at this thing within the next 24 hours.

Pixels pac man poster
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Pixels centipede poster
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Pixels Space Invaders
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Pixels Donkey Kong Poster
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