A popular video game to film adaptation began as a rumor over a decade ago and was first teased to the public last year. “A Minecraft Movie” hit the theaters on April 4, receiving an extremely mixed audience reaction for the beloved franchise.
In 2009, the “Minecraft” video game was released, and it has had a lasting impact on the gaming industry for over 15 years. “Minecraft” is known for being a 3D sandbox game where players generate their unique block world to explore different biomes, craft simple items or build whatever their heart desires. It continued to expand with constant updates year-round.
It is a simple premise of a game, but how does that translate to film?
Jack Black brings his explosive energy to the big screens after starring in two great animated films, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in 2023 and “Kung Fu Panda 4” in 2024. He plays Steve, the default character and face of “Minecraft,” and he brings the role to life.
In the game, Steve can be described as generic because there is no personality or story to be told with him.
Instead of following a simple story, “A Minecraft Movie” expands itself into the real world, with other characters being the focus with their own side stories. The main goal of the four-person crew is to get back home with the help of Steve. A lot of unique characters and items only made for the movie allowed the story to fill in many questions about how the worlds are connected or who would be the main antagonist.
Even with the unique aspects of the film, it never strayed away from pleasing “Minecraft” fans. The details of the game’s many features and acknowledging the YouTubers who helped popularize it is nothing short of incredible from the film crew.
On April 19, YouTuber “Mumbo Jumbo” uploaded a video to reveal behind-the-scenes work in helping the film, with many of the builds featured on screen.
Even though a story had to be crafted for the film, it was not well received by most fans of the franchise. The main story of getting back home kept being sidetracked at times by each of the other characters’ problems. The characters Natalie and Henry had their family issues, which could have been erased without affecting the entire plot. Alongside that, the cheesy jokes and one-liners made the film look a bit ridiculous at times. I can’t lie, though, in saying “Steve’s Lava Chicken” song was pretty catchy.
However, the “Chicken Jockey” joke got way out of control, with many audiences causing commotion in various theaters.
“A Minecraft Movie” is one of the few video game movie adaptations to be released within the last five years. It tries to be different while being respectful to the video game, but I don’t feel it hits the mark in creating something spectacular.
It is still an enjoyable experience that anyone can get a laugh from, and many details transferred over from the game cannot be undermined. When I compare it with films such as “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” or the “Sonic the Hedgehog” trilogy, it isn’t a remarkable movie. It isn’t a great film, but it is a good one.
If you’re a die-hard “Minecraft” fan, maybe lower your expectations going into this film. However, this does feel like a family movie that would be enjoyable to watch this spring. I would recommend giving it a chance. I rate “A Minecraft Movie” a three out of five Loper stars.
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