Film Review - A Minecraft Movie
Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
It's hard to believe (but I guess it’s also not surprising) that one of the most successful indie games of all time, that inspired kids of multiple generations to unleash their creativity, would end up having one of the most cliché, by-the-numbers, corporate film adaptations of all time.
Some highlights of A Minecraft Movie that I enjoyed include Jason Mamoa doing a decent job in a comedic role, elements of the animation quality, Stifler’s mum (aka Jennifer Coolidge), and a surprise Matt Berry appearance. But that's about it.
I really wanted this Minecraft adaptation to follow in the footsteps of The Lego Movie, which employed the source property to creatively animate the mechanics of Lego to tell a compelling story. But instead, it followed The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), lazily integrating the property to make a cliché story. At least with Super Mario Bros., the characters and references were incorporated effectively enough for the movie to appeal to some. Though, it’s difficult to say the same for A Minecraft Movie.
The majority of scenes can be described as Jack Black delivering lazy exposition to explain the story, followed by a bad joke, and then an awkward Minecraft reference that was most likely copied directly from the Minecraft Wiki. I found even the presentation of game elements - the mining and the crafting - a bit underwhelming. It was also a big mistake to have a mix of human and animated characters. It takes around twenty to thirty minutes into the movie for the characters to go into the Minecraft world, and when they finally get there, the animation style ends up clashing with the non-animated cast, further dragging down the overall visuals of the film.
If the goal of A Minecraft Movie is to entertain fans of the game and their parents while turning a profit, then based on the crowd's reaction, the movie does its job. The property may not be as popular amongst all demographics to reach the levels of box office success like The Super Mario Bros. movie. But luckily (and unfortunately) lots of people are flocking to see it because of the memes. Hopefully, they can take a new direction in the inevitable sequel to make something a bit more ambitious and not rely on audiences to make their own fun, while making life difficult for cinema employees.
Follow Tyler on Instagram and Letterboxd.
A Minecraft Movie is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.