It seems as if a feature film adaptation of Minecraft has been in development for centuries. I remember first hearing about a potential Minecraft movie happening around a decade ago, and for years afterward, various filmmakers and actors would be attached but ultimately leave the project. Well, after all this time, we finally have “A Minecraft Movie” in theaters now.
When the first promotional material for “A Minecraft Movie” started getting rolled out, I was massively disappointed. I thought the first teaser trailer released was truly abysmal; it felt like a massive mistake to make this film live-action rather than fully animated. The humor fell flat and the visuals looked rather unappealing. Like many other lifelong Minecraft lovers, I was bummed out and expecting the worst.
However, within the last couple of months, I started to have a shift in my attitude about this movie. I was getting more adjusted to the visual style of the Minecraft world, and my younger siblings and I started to bond over moments and line deliveries from the various trailers and commercials for the film that we thought were hilarious. We were not alone in this; many of Jack Black’s line deliveries from the marketing started to become popular memes, and this built anticipation and actually got people excited to go see the film.
It’s a pleasant surprise to say that “A Minecraft Movie” is an absolute blast. This is one of the most fun moviegoing experiences in recent memory, and something families (and people in general) all over the world are bound to enjoy from start to finish.
A concern film-goers had going into the movie was the performances. When I first started seeing trailers for this movie, it felt like every single line delivery was just not working. I’m happy to say a good amount of those lines work better for me in the flow of the film, and all the performances were wonderful.
Jack Black’s over-the-top line deliveries are so delightful and it’s the most enjoyable performance I’ve seen from him in a while (probably since 2017’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”). The film is also led by Jason Momoa, who plays a washed up former video game world champion, which ended up making for a really fun character and performance. The main cast is rounded out with more really good performances from Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Hansen and Emma Myers. We also have Jennifer Coolidge in the mix here, who has a hysterical subplot which had the audience giggling every time the film cut back to her.
Minecraft has such a distinctive visual style, and surprisingly found myself immediately immersed in the world-building. Whether you are a huge fan of Minecraft or if you’ve never played it in your entire life, this movie explains how everything works really well.
The action in the film is really exciting, and there are some really fun music choices throughout. There were a lot of young kids at the screening, all cheering and applauding when the film concluded. For kids this could easily become a favorite movie, and even from an adult perspective there’s still so much to appreciate. Director Jared Hess nailed the perfect tone for “A Minecraft Movie” and as I left the theater, I instantly thought about when I’d be available to go see it again.
I have seen “A Minecraft Movie” twice now. I got to go to a screening about a week before it was released. Although there were lots of children in the theater, they were fairly quiet and engaged. I went to see it again during its opening weekend and couldn’t believe what happened. The theater was absolutely packed, and the entire audience was shouting all the hilarious Jack Black lines from the marketing. I’ve never experienced something like this before: this movie was getting “Avengers” level audience reactions, but the reactions were stemming from what were essentially memes and viral clips. “A Minecraft Movie” has done what every major film hopes it can do upon release: it has become an event, and a communal experience that cannot be replicated by simply watching the movie on a streaming service.
“A Minecraft Movie” is in theaters now. In a shocking turn of events that six or seven months ago I never would have predicted, I would recommend going to see this film. It’s exciting, it’s got interesting visuals and good characters, it’s funny, and is overall just a delightful time at the movies. If you want a fun ride that the whole family can enjoy, this is the perfect film for you!
