Sorry, but "Minecraft" was awful.

Although video games have always been a crucial part of my life, I never had the chance to fall in love with "Minecraft," which is rather ironic considering it's a title that has not only captured everyone's attention within its own fear, but also appears to be one of those rather rare cases where the barriers of popular culture are broken, and it seems like everyone has had the chance to play it, or, failing that, is at least very familiar with its premise.

The truth is, while I've always thought the idea of video games with "infinite" possibilities was brilliant (even those that execute said idea in a more controlled way, like The Sims or Grand Theft Auto), the few times I decided to give Minecraft a try, I felt slightly overwhelmed by its mechanics, and I never dedicated the time I obviously needed to get the most out of its virtual world.

On the other hand, I always recognized its value as a piece of entertainment, especially because it had the ability to inspire young people and children to tap into their imaginations and even learn basic concepts of physics, engineering, and architecture.

For this reason, even though the idea of bringing a game like this to the big screen felt absurd (considering that for many, the main incentive of video games was the ability to build their own narrative), I saw the project as an opportunity to pay homage to the legacy of Minecraft, taking its most iconic elements and creating a solid adaptation that, despite having many things against it, would serve as a bridge between those who barely knew the video game (like me) and those who consider it a crucial part of everything they are.

Unfortunately, the end result is just another run-of-the-mill blockbuster, directed by Jared Hess and starring Jack Black (who plays Jack Black...), which does nothing but bombard us with a host of winks and references that only those who have spent hours with the Mojang Studios title, or who grew up watching YouTubers do the same, will appreciate.

Success was inevitable, a direct consequence of the player base of its interactive counterpart, and perhaps partly because of this, the people behind the film let their guard down and neglected those aspects that could have resulted in a genuinely entertaining work. The special effects are terrible, the passing is disorganized, and there isn't a single joke worth telling in its endless 100-minute runtime.

Perhaps its greatest virtue is its inoffensiveness and its couple of interesting ideas that, at best, make the film relatively bearable.

It appeals to the lowest common denominator, and is too cowardly to take any risk that would end up generating anything of value in terms of narrative, it feels like the kind of films that in the early 2000s would be attacked to exhaustion, only this time it seems that everyone is very satisfied with its quality.

Score taken from my Letterboxd account.