The conceit here is that back in 1982, NASA launched into orbit a capsule that contained numerous examples of our then-contemporary popular culture as a way of reaching out to possible alien life forms that might be curious to know about that thing that we on Earth called "The Pirate Movie," including a cassette chronicling a video game championship featuring young arcade masters showing their skills at the top games of the era. Unfortunately, a hostile alien force intercepts the tape, determines its contents to be an act of war, and begins sending down large and malevolent versions of the characters from those games to attack Earth as a response to the alleged challenge with the fate of the planet hanging in the balance. The spaceships from "Galaga" rain pixilated horror in Peru, a "Centipede" games breaks out over London's Hyde Park and the grid-like layout of New York City sets the scene for what proves to be the world's largest Pac-Man game.

Drastic times call for drastic measures and so the President (Kevin James) hits upon the idea of bringing in old school gamers to advise on how to stop the invading forces. Luckily, his childhood best friend, Sam Brenner (Sandler), was a young gaming prodigy back in the day until his life was ruined after losing that aforementioned championship when he placed second at Donkey Kong. He is joined by Ludlow (Josh Gad), another participant in that competition who has become a paranoid conspiracy buff (he is convinced JFK fired first, chuckle chuckle) with an unhealthy obsession towards Lady Lisa, the scantily-clad heroine of "Dojo Girl." (This game does not actually exist but as those scoring at home will quickly discover, verisimilitude is not exactly the film's strong point) Overblown egomaniac Eddie "The Fireblaster" Plant (Peter Dinklage)—who beat Sam at that fateful Donkey Kong game—signs on as well but carries a shocking secret that could lead to the destruction of the world. Finally, in a small concession that women also play games as well, the guys are joined by Lt. Col. Violet van Patten (Michelle Monaghan), a brilliant specialist who creates the weird weaponry to be used against the invaders. (Of course, she is just a girl in a movie aimed at adolescent boys so her signature moves include zapping a Smurf and downing Chardonnay while sobbing about her romantic troubles at length to the guy who has arrived to install her flat-screen TV.)

Like I said, the premise of "Pixels" (which was inspired by a 2010 short) is sound, and in a perfect world, it could have been the hi-tech hybrid of "The Last Starfighter" and "Ghostbusters" that it clearly wants to be. Indeed, there are moments when the sight of giant-sized arcade icons wreaking havoc do have a certain grandeur to them, even if their overexposure in the coming attractions previews has inevitably reduced much of their immediate impact. Alas, while the technologies used to bring these characters from their 8-bit origins to the CGI world are as state-of-the-art as can be, the screenplay is closer to "Oregon Trail" by comparison. Instead of taking the time to really hash out the concept, co-writers and frequent Sandler collaborators Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling have essentially shunted it to the side in order to make room for the usual nonsense: people acting like idiots for no apparent reason, an attitude towards women that should appeal to those Gamergate oafs, cameo appearances from Sandler's buddies and the usual bits of gross-out humor. (You'll believe a Q*Bert can whiz!)