Minecraft: The Movie - Review

Before it turns into just a boisterous fantasy, this adaptation is surprisingly funny

This Would Have Been My Favorite Movie if I Were 8 ... But I’m 32 😂

Release Date
April 4, 2025
Runtime
101 minutes
Director
Jared Hess

The Movie Description:

Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity is not only a way to create, but also a way to survive! Four misfits - Garrett "Garbage Man" Garrison ( Jason Momoa ), Henry ( Sebastian Hansen ), Natalie ( Emma Myers ) and Dawn ( Danielle Brooks ) - are struggling with everyday problems when a mysterious portal suddenly pulls them into the Overworld - a strange land full of cubes where imagination is the most important thing. To return home, they will have to take control of this world and protect it from evil creatures such as piglins and zombies. To do this, they set off on a magical journey with an unexpected companion - experienced gamer Steve ( Jack Black )
This adventure will force all five to show their courage and discover the traits that make each of them creative in their own way. These are the same traits that help them live in the real world.

A Minecraft Movie finds itself in a perplexing paradox from its opening moments. Clearly following in the footsteps of projects like The Lego Movie, this adaptation of the popular video game seeks to honor the creative freedom and openness that characterizes Minecraft. At the same time, it adheres strictly to the game's framework, which means including all the familiar and essential visual elements, as well as the obligatory number of jokes directed at gamers. The real surprise of the film is how long it manages to postpone these jokes—long enough, it turns out, to give director Jared Hess (director of Napoleon Dynamite) a chance to make his mark, as he masterfully adapts his dry comic book style into a fantasy film aimed at children.

Hess's foray into the franchise reunites him with Jack Black, who previously starred in the 2006 comedy Nacho Libre. Black can't be accused of taking this role lightly, as he delivers an impassioned performance as Steve, a man who has "dreamed of working in the mines" since childhood and later finds a portal to the magical Overworld as an adult. Steve escapes his humdrum life with such passion that the film's opening narration feels lively and exciting rather than simply expository. In short, a group of evil pigs are after the "ball" (not an actual ball, but a cube, as you'd expect in the Minecraft universe) that Steve finds, so he sends his loyal dog, Dennis, to hide it in the real world.

Hess returns to his roots from his film Napoleon Dynamite, employing his signature style of combining period costumes with unexpected, dry humor. This is particularly evident in the real-world portion, which pauses Steve's story to focus on siblings Natalie (Wednesday's Emma Myers) and Henry (Sebastian Hensen) as they move to a small town in Idaho. There, Henry, a creative and out-of-touch kid at school, befriends Garrett Garrison (Jason Momoa), a former video game champion who runs a nearly closed antique store. Natalie meets Dawn (Danielle Brooks), a friendly real estate agent who works part-time as a zookeeper.

These quirky characters might seem a bit much for a film aimed at adults: Natalie, a young woman of an ambiguous age, lands a job managing social media for a local potato chip factory, while Henry works on designing a fully functional jetpack. But for a film aimed at children, these details add a fun and distinctive touch, as Hess's art style, full of witty comedy and off-beat atmosphere, prevails. Momoa, in particular, blends unexpectedly seamlessly with Hess's comedic style, playing a role that resembles a less aggressive version of Rex Kwon Do from Napoleon Dynamite. In fact, the film's first 30 to 40 minutes contain enough funny moments to make Henry, Garrett, Natalie, and Dawn's transition to the Overworld after accidentally finding the ball a bit of a frustrating moment.

A Minecraft Movie Gallery

Eventually, the heroes meet Steve, who gives them some basic gameplay lessons in preparation for their adventure. This mission, however, is conceptually murky and confusing, presented as a combination of rescuing Steve's beloved dog, Dennis, protecting the orb, and finding a way to return the four travelers to their world. The script, co-written by six writers, clearly suffers from inconsistencies, placing characters in situations where they plan one thing and then deviate from it without explanation, as if the actors were working from different versions of the script. Based on uninspired action sequences, such as a fan-made Lord of the Rings-esque digital horde running and flying, it's clear Jared Hess doesn't have big-budget epic fantasy films in his directorial future. Still, Minecraft remains lighthearted and entertaining, constantly pausing for moments of silly physical comedy and cartoonish gags, such as an extended and completely unnecessary but entertaining subplot involving Jennifer Coolidge and an Overworld resident.

As the film progresses, the anarchic comedy takes over, and the digitally generated scenes and landscapes populated by cube objects begin to feel repetitive. Ultimately, the film feels like a polished version of a YouTube playthrough, with a few Hollywood stars sprinkled throughout the screen. What Minecraft lacks in comparison to the game, however, is its unique blend of detail and scale. While the film touts the creative flexibility of the game, it lacks the obsession that makes it special, preferring instead to make the Overworld feel like it was ripped off from a Mario game.

The similarities between this film and Jack Black's other video game adaptation ( The Super Mario Bros. Movie) become apparent when Steve begins searching for his own song to emulate the success of "Peaches," performing no fewer than three mini-songs along the way. (On the other hand, it's hard to resist Jack Black when he brings his signature sarcastic and comedic style to a new generation.) As with so many video game adaptations, the gap between what the game and film do best remains unsolved in A Minecraft Movie. However, turning the world's best-selling video game into Jared Hess's best film in years is a creative achievement in itself.

Conclusion
For a major studio's cinematic adaptation of one of the most popular video games of all time, A Minecraft Movie allows its director to showcase a great deal of his distinctive style with brilliance. Jared Hess, director of Napoleon Dynamite, manages to cram some seriously funny moments into his epic take on the Overworld before succumbing to the demands of a digitally-fueled fantasy adventure. Thematically, the film offers a simple lesson in the idea that "the world is what you make of it," but Jack Black and Jason Momoa deliver it with a wonderfully comical élan that makes it all the more compelling.

Pros & Cons

• The first act proves to have a lot of laughs, with Jared Hess bringing his trademark sense of humor.
• Jason Momoa and Jennifer Coolidge are unafraid to be silly.
• Jack Black's performance begins to feel stale after 15 minutes.
• The movie's attempts to build emotion feel half-baked and stale.