Ignore the reviewers that dont get what this movie is about. It's a scifi comedy movie using the video game craze if the 80s and adding some great 80s music add the phenomenal cast and it's a winner. Its NOT meant to be the godfather or green mile it's a scifi comedy starring adam sandler and Kevin james and it actually out performs its premise. The slapstick script was near flawless and the acting and special effects just bump it to a 10. Watch this fun film with the whole family what it doesn't have is violence, profanity, sex, gross humor, nudity, bad acting.

I'm not sure why such a low rating. This is easily one of the better Sandler flicks in my book, and there aren't actually that many I like. It's fun, nothing's taken too seriously, it's well-acted and well-directed, there's a minimum of the obligatory shock humor that seems to invade all of his movies. I mean, you could probably let the kids watch and that stuff will go over their heads. Maybe, maybe not. Watch it yourself first.

I watched it a second time and still enjoyed it. That doesn't happen all that often.

Sam Brenner and his chubby loser friend Will Cooper go to the 1982 Worldwide Video Arcade Championships. Ludlow Lamonsoff is a weird nerd with his grandmother. Sam loses to Eddie "The Fire Blaster" Plant in the final game. A tape of the event is sent into space as a message to aliens. In the present day, Cooper (Kevin James) is the ridiculed President of United States. Brenner (Adam Sandler) is still his best friend but he's in a dead-end job. He falls for Violet (Michelle Monaghan) who turns out to be a Lieutenant Colonel in weapons development. Aliens mistake the tape as a challenge and send light-based weapons in the form of the arcade game characters. Ludlow (Josh Gad) has turned into a conspiracy theorist and Eddie (Peter Dinklage) is in prison. The group has to use their gaming skills to defend the planet in a death match.

There is a lot of hate for Adam Sandler. This is not that horrible but he wasted a great opportunity. I love this concept. The movie works great during the battle scenes. It's fun action with loads of 80s recalls. When the action stops, the movie gets really rocky. Sandler continues to have trouble being likable. He keeps playing an annoying douche although he's not as bad as some of his recent outings. He has lost his boyish fun charms of his early movies. His romance with Monaghan has its ups and downs. Kevin James starts out well with a bunch of girl scouts making fun of him. The problem is that he takes his cue from Sandler and overdoes it. Josh Gad needs to dial back the creepiness one level. Being obsessed with a pixel character is creepy although making her Ashley Benson helps a lot. Peter Dinklage is pushing too hard. In general, Chris Columbus has every character pushing too hard. They don't need to and it screws up an otherwise fun comedic action thriller.