Minecraft is a 16-year-old video game developed by Mojang Studios, and was definitely due for a movie adaption.
“A Minecraft Movie” takes the preexisting open world of the game and turns it into a concept that is not quite the peak of cinema, but is entertaining enough to make it a very memorable feature.
The movie is directed by Jared Hess, who is also known for directing movies like Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre.
The alpha version of Minecraft was first released in 2009, and eventually got a full beta release in 2011. Since then, it’s had multiple updates to help expand the features and mechanisms of the game.
The main star of the film adaptation is Jack Black, who plays the character of Steve.
In Minecraft, Steve is the name of the character of the default skin that players get.
Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks and Emma Myers are also stars that are part of the movie’s main cast.
The plot of the film itself is pretty cliche, and an average adult would probably be able to predict what happens. Especially those who are already familiar with the game.
The game itself is an exploration game in a 3D sandbox. The player lives in a cubic world and can interact with their environment to build, mine and create new items.
The movie is just another story about people who feel like they don’t fit into society, get sent into another world, and learn more about themselves and that they can still be who they are in their own world.
However, the simplicity is enough to entertain children and those who hold a lot of nostalgia for the game.
The nostalgia is what helps bring the movie to life. While generic in plot, there are still a lot of things that people who enjoy the game can see.
The special effects for the whole environment of Minecraft and all of the creatures surrounding it are stellar.
For visual appeal, there were definitely some better design choices that could be made regarding how the animals of the world look. However, the world still keeps its signature blocky texture and gives an imaginative perspective to some of the mechanics of the game.
One of the games main objectives is to survive from multiple hostile entities like zombies, skeletons and spiders. The player can also create armor and weapons like swords to help defend themselves.
For those who might not like survival games, there is also the option to play on “peaceful” mode that removes the hostility, and “creative” mode that removes the ability to die altogether. The creative mode is geared more towards building rather than surviving.
The movie does delve into the different playstyles and what some players might prefer the most to do in the game (crafting, building, fighting, etc.).
As far as acting goes, everyone in the movie did a great job playing their character. It didn’t feel like they were just reading off of their script to repeat words, but they really played into each of their characters and what made them unique.
Momoa and Black in particular brought a lot of comedy with their fun and quirky characters.
At some points, however, Black’s character just felt like he was playing as himself and what he is known for in other films. Despite that, it was still interesting to see how his charm helped bring his character to life.
Based on how many random scenes there were, it is easy to tell that Black had a lot of fun with the movie, and how he turned a video game character into an eccentric adventurer who loves to build.
In addition to that, the movie is funny. Even for adults who might not know anything about the game, the humor is so absurd that it still manages to land well. There even is a hilarious subplot that involves Jennifer Coolidge’s character on a date with a villager, and that was arguably one of the best parts of the movie.
The movie as a whole has also become memorable online when the trailers first came out. Several quotes of Black shouting different game terms (chicken jockey, the nether, flint and steel, etc.) have circulated and become memes.
A few cameos from popular Minecraft Youtubers like DanTDM and LDShadowLady are also seen and add to the nostalgic experience of the film.
A mention is also given to Technoblade, a Minecraft streamer who passed away from cancer in 2022.
Despite the appeal and popularity this movie has gained, it still has many flaws.
An issue the movie has is how fast paced it is. Of course, it is not a movie that needs to be long and drawn out, but slowing it down would have done some justice for plot purposes and to prevent confusion.
It is difficult to pinpoint how many things were rushed when it just felt like a movie trying to shorten itself and only have the most action parts more than having a plot.
The first act in particular is quick to jump into the conflict that Steve finds himself in without trying to sit down and explain why he does the things he does. Shortly after, the audience gets introduced to the rest of the characters and what their problems are.
Another thing that seemed unclear was the tone of the movie. Most of the time, the tone feels unserious and mocking.
This comes out a lot when the antagonist is introduced, as they had a very unserious backstory and eventual defeat that just wanted to be comedic rather than fulfilling. Even during the points of dark humor where the monsters are dying left and right, the comedy is still strong.
However, there are other times when it does have its serious moments that can’t quite land because of how sudden they are to change the tone of the highly comedic film.
For example, Sebastian Hansen’s character, Henry, has a confrontation with Momoa’s character near the end of the film that was intended to be something that changed the tone from humorous to serious. Although it did change the tone, it seemed like it came out of nowhere because of all the action and comedy that was happening before.
The general direction of the movie was generic, but it still had a coherent and consistent story line . There were just a lot of things that were not explained in great detail and were skimmed over. The Minecraft movie immediately throws the viewer into the story and does not try to slow down once.
Another issue is with how the female protagonists in the movie are written to be portrayed as clueless people who don’t understand video games. More could have been done to give them the proper character development and screen time, but they are unfortunately forgettable when the males are given what they lack.
Overall, the movie had a lot of flaws that make it a less than perfect film, and it’s definitely not groundbreaking with how many cliches and stereotypes it had. The comedy and the nostalgia viewers may have for the game managed to salvage it. It was a hilarious feature that came with great success and a lot of memes.
The movie is definitely still worth giving a watch, especially to those who grew up playing the game.
