Minecraft

By Ian Chandler - April 9, 2025

A Minecraft Movie is an unapologetic cash grab from Warner Brothers that is, somehow, fun. Starring Jack Black as himself under the alias of Steve, the film has enough zaniness to keep children from getting bored and enough charm to keep adults from hating it entirely. Other cast members include Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Hansen. Most of them are fine, but when compared to Momoa's overly zany performance, the gap in acting quality becomes noticeable. Also, for a film that boasts creativity, there are next to no crumbs of imagination to be found here. So, with uneven acting and lazy writing, the film was destined to be a misfire, right? Well, you may be surprised to hear that my verdict is no. It is ultimately an entertaining blockbuster, thanks in no small part to the film embracing its own silliness.

The first noticeable aspect of the film is its computer-generated world. The CGI team did a great job translating the bizarre, blocky world of Minecraft to the silver screen. The colors pop, and the creatures retain their signature designs-now updated with fluid expressions and impressive texture work. The environments are beautiful and clearly crafted with care. However-and this is one big caveat-the blend of real humans with the Minecraft world creates an unfortunate eyesore. Remember those Spy Kids movies from the early 2000s? Well, this $150 million film features green screen effects that are only slightly better than those. It does the world-building a huge disservice.

The characters are also a mixed bag. Jack Black is always pleasant to see, but he's not a character, he's just Jack Black. Jason Momoa does the heavy lifting as he plays a washed out, egotistical video-game fanatic. Gone are the suave vibes he usually brings. Momoa plays what is potentially his goofiest role yet, and he fully commits to it! The others are not necessarily spectacular, partially due to the lackluster script they've been given. Also, expecting an Oscar worthy performance from the younger actors would be simply unfair. The villain is a cliché, but a good one. She reminds me of an '80s villain: little motivation, diabolical antics, and a commanding voice. Aside from Momoa, she was my favorite character. Even though Jack Black doesn't act at all, what he brings to the table is a lot of contagious fun. He clearly has no boundaries and he seems to be having a blast jumping around a green screen doing... well, whatever it is Jack Black does.

The plot is the most corporate element that is put on the crafting table. It is basically a Goodwill version of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which also had Jack Black in it. There is nothing interesting that happens, narratively speaking. Every plot point can be seen by the time the logo appears on the screen. I understand that kids need a breezy story in order to not feel overwhelmed; but this is simple to a point where the comedy has to pull the writing's slack. Most fatally, if the jokes do not land for someone, they will find almost nothing worthwhile. Even the Minecraft pigs wouldn't eat slop like this. But, at the very least, the story never was a component in the source material; so, the lack of a refined one is not very offensive, by any means.

Lastly, and this isn't to the credit or fault of the movie, the theatrical experience can wildly vary. Because of internet memes, teenagers are obliged to clap, cheer, and sometimes spill popcorn over Jack Black making Minecraft references. In my experience, there was some cheering and clapping, but it was harmless fun and it ceased by the time the line ended. However, multiple families have issued refunds because many modern high-schoolers don't have manners. Some jump on seats, others stand up and run around and shriek like they are on fire. This does nothing to my overall score, but it is worth mentioning if you consider buying tickets. Disregarding the teenage craze, this film is a fun evening at the theater, especially if you have children eager for it.

Score: 63/100

Summary: A Minecraft Movie has the imagination of a zombie and it chickens out on making an enchanted story, but there is enough energy here to liven up this blocky adventure.

While I'm not completely familiar with the lore or overall structure of the game Minecraft, a game I've only played once in my life, I'm extremely familiar with the filmography of Jared Hess; an eternally goofy yet somewhat clean indie filmmaker with an uneven yet auteur worthy filmography under his belt. When I went to see A Minecraft Movie on Tuesday, I didn't go in to see a movie about Minecraft. I went in to see a movie from the director of Nacho Libre and Napoleon Dynamite. And in that regard, I was entertained. The film is full of Hess' strange trademarks such as awful hairdos, silly replacements for swear words, comedically macho characters, odd sentiment towards the retro, a fondness towards Idaho and potatoes, and familiar faces in the form of Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jermaine Clement. It was exactly what it needed to be: silly, good humored dumb fun.

The film is quirky and somewhat stays true to the game. The cast is unhinged to the point where it works. Sure there are some cliches here with the story and then as well as character flaws but the film paces itself well and delivers a well rounded family film. Jack Black does the absolute best with what he is given as well as Jason does. Both of them lead the project with grace. As for some of the supporting characters, they seem to have a few tropes that were heard of before. I've played Minecraft for 10+ years and this is the best version of film we're going to get at this high of budget. Is the film perfect, no. But it is indeed quite enjoyable.

They played a new "Superman" clip and trailer before "A Minecraft Movie." My excitement for that DCU launcher has increased significantly. I won't spoil what it features, but seeing it felt special. I felt shivers through my body because of how awesome that preview was. Of course, they released it online a few hours later, but watching it on a Dolby screen was astounding. July 11 can't come soon enough. Wait, this is a review of "A Minecraft Movie."

Unlike most video game adaptations I've seen, I have prior experience playing Minecraft, undeniably one of the most popular video games in history and the best-selling of all time. I used to play it for hours on end, and it never got tiring. YouTubers made their careers posting Minecraft gameplay videos. I can't downplay Minecraft's legacy and impact, and ever since 2014, there has been talk about turning it into a movie. After eleven long years in which people like me thought it'd never come out, we finally have it, and since I'm both a fan of the game and movies in general, I can hopefully tell whether or not this caters exclusively to one group or both. To an extent, it does for both audiences, I'll admit, but I didn't exactly like it.

Let me start with the visuals. The entire VFX crew brought iconic Minecraft characters and places to stunning life. I was in awe at how much I wouldn't mind living in this world.

Next, the actors do a solid job. Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, and Danielle Brooks all do well with their characters, although Jason Momoa and Emma Myers as Garrett and Natalie were the best, in my opinion. Though issues with the screenplay exist, the cast (mostly) makes their dialogue work.

Yes, the references to the game made me smile a bit. Then again, any Minecraft player would be happy seeing their favorite elements from the game translated to the big screen. That may be the saving factor for most people, given that they've played it extensively. It's fun to notice the callbacks to the game, and that's sometimes not bad. I didn't find it detrimental to the overall experience.

For the remaining positives, two scenes - including the final act - were wildly fun and had me excited, while Jared Hess's directing was vibrant, and the runtime rarely drags.

Before moving into the mixed-to-negative aspects of this experience, remember how most of us collectively disliked the film's first trailer? I admit, I didn't like it, but the film strangely became my 9th most anticipated movie of 2025, and I ceased to mind the following trailer. It's important to keep expectations in check, but I couldn't help but have hope that it may subvert my worries and be outstanding. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, but it's not the worst video game adaptation or movie of 2025, and I understand that you may be able to move past the flaws and have a delightful time. Either way, I have to be honest.

As I foreshadowed earlier, the screenplay from Chris Bowman, Chris Galletta, Gavin James, Hubbel Palmer, and Neil Widener was very weird, not weak per se. Minecraft as a game is conceptually simple, but I feel this film's narrative isn't straightforward enough. Additionally, the movie feels like it has an identity crisis at times. It's a comedy, yet they try to make the Overworld - it's not called Minecraft, although they name-drop it for a completely different reason - this big deal, but I feel they didn't do a good enough job with that.

I saw missed potential with the villains as well. They're not terrible, but I never felt the threat of Malgosha or her piglin army. In their defense, I didn't invest in the central five as much as the movie wanted me to.

Oh, and there's a side plot that, no spoilers, didn't add to the story whatsoever. It's semi-cute, but in all seriousness, what was it doing here?

Going back to the comedy, I only laughed twice. I'm not angry that I didn't think it was funny; I'm just disappointed. These are jokes geared more toward younger audiences, but they don't overstay their welcome as much as other films.

One more thing, and it's not as much of a bother for me: they go into song-and-dance four times here. A song towards the end aside, it feels like the team only did it because "Peaches" from "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" was so beloved. The songs are fine inclusions that don't entirely justify their inclusion.

Overall, if you had fears beforehand, they're in "A Minecraft Movie," but if you expected a "Snow White" failure, prepare to be pleasantly surprised. It's simultaneously the best and the worst film I hoped and feared it'd be, but it has two target audiences in mind: younger audiences and dedicated Minecraft fans, both of whom may be okay with an imperfect feature.

Technically, the acting, directing, breathtaking visuals, and decent screenplay make the technical score an 8/10.

For the enjoyment score, it was a 5/10 for me. However, I may be in the minority who feel this way. An 8/10 experience is in the cards if you only want a fun adventure and could care less about its weaker elements. I can't be mad at it, because it did its job, even if I didn't admit it at first: entertain!

I see a lot of people criticizing this movie heavily I don't get why I mean it's a kids movie. It's not supposed to make any sense and honestly, I kinda like the way it is because it's dumb, but it's funny, dumb and enjoyable and plus this movie was special because everybody in the theater while I was watching Clapped every time a famous line for the movie was said and it was so funny when was the last time that a movie made people get together and actually enjoy each scene this movie did. I like that they reference Technoblade too. He would've loved this movie especially the reactions. If I had to read this movie, I would give it a 7 it honestly was enjoyable and people are too quick to criticize it but my point is that it isn't perfect but it's the people you watched with that make it enjoyable.