Chris Columbus , the man behind blockbusters such as the first two Harry Potter films, Home Alone and Mrs Doubtfire and the writer of films such as Gremlins and The Goonies talks to Mini Anthikad Chhibber about , Pixels , that released on Friday.The 56-year-old director outlines the Pixels plot: “A signal is sent out in 1982 that aliens misinterpret as a declaration of war. They take [video feeds of] arcade games and send down terrifying versions of them to destroy the planet.” In Cancun, Mexico, Columbus chats about films, gaming, Harry Potter and nostalgia. Excerpts.
Tell us how Pixels came to be.
When I went to Los Angeles to meet Adam Sandler, the latest rewrite of Pixels was on his desk. He asked me to take a look at it. I read it on the way back to San Francisco and fell in love with it. I thought it was a unique concept. I was not interested in doing another visual effects movie that destroyed the planet. We have seen that in a 1,000 different films.
We spent months designing these creatures, so that they don’t look silly, they look hauntingly beautiful, there is a little bit of an edge — that is a little of their charm. Since they’ve been programmed to play how they play on the video arcade, when they get to our planet all they know is how to that. And I was interested in what happens when a 30-foot version of Pac-Man destroys the city. The visual effects are kind of cool and horrifying.
Could you tell us something about modern video games?
I have seen ‘Assassin’s Creed’, ‘Call of Duty’… they are beautiful to look at. I am in awe of the worlds that are created; they are beautiful from a cinematic point of view. I find gaming a good time to have a conversation with your kids. Even when they bring their friends over and they are all playing video games, because they can do six or seven things at once. They can play the game and talk to you.
Could you comment on nostalgia?
One of the reasons I did this movie was people were asking me, ‘Why don’t you direct the kind of movies you were writing in the 80s for Steven Spielberg like Gremlins , Goonies or Young Sherlock Holmes ? Stylistically, why don’t you make an Amblin-esque movie? For me, that script didn’t exist until I saw Pixels . And when I did I thought, ‘Well, this is in my DNA,’ I could try to recreate that feeling we had in the 80s. There is something more edgy about those movies.
The beginning of our movie is set in 1982 and we shot it with anamorphic lenses. Every decade, we go back 20 years. In the 70s, everyone thought the 50s were more wholesome … it is just how nostalgia affects our brain. We always remember the good things about the past, how much easier, calmer and charming it was, whereas in reality you had to wear horrible clothes and hairstyles (laughs).
Can you comment on the fashion in the film?
Thankfully, we only spend about eight minutes in the 80s in the movie. It was very difficult to find wardrobes that weren’t too hideous. Some of the actual pieces were too extreme to put on camera.
Is all the music in the film from the 80s?
It is an original score but a homage to 80s’ music — an Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith-sounding score. We use a few songs from the 80s that are evocative of the time.
Which is your favourite Harry Potter movie?
I am partial to Prisoner of Azkaban . But it is unfair for me to say because I was involved. I loved the last one. It was emotional for me seeing Hogwarts destroyed. It would be fun to go back. Rowling stopped writing the books when Harry was 17, and in the last chapter of the last book, you jump to Harry being 30 years old. I am curious about what happened between 18 and 30. I think there is a whole other story there which would be fascinating if Rowling ever wanted to write it.
