Crafting table popcorn bucket in hand, I sat conflicted as the theater lights brightened. Jennifer Coolidge’s unnamed character flirting with a creepy CGI villager played on the big screen as teenage boys flung from their seats in applause. “A Minecraft Movie,” a tribute to the popular game Minecraft in celebration of its 15th anniversary, left me with mixed feelings.
Directed by Jared Hess, “A Minecraft Movie” follows Steve (Jack Black) as he discovers the magical realm of Minecraft before falling prisoner to gold-hungry piglins, zombified pigs who live in The Nether. After stumbling upon the cube that led Steve to Minecraft, brother-sister duo Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers) enter Minecraft alongside their new neighbor, Dawn (Danielle Brooks), and Henry’s mentor, Garrett (Jason Momoa). Together, they attempt to save Minecraft from the piglins in order to return to their normal lives in the overworld.
I fully expected ridiculousness before entering the theater. Even before its release, idiotic lines from the film accompanied by tension-filled, almost romantic interviews of Jack Black and Jason Momoa had blown up, providing a sneak peak of how nonsensical the script was.
“A Minecraft Movie” was obviously created for a specific immature audience, and that’s okay. It’s just as important to have feel-good, silly media as it is to have more meaningful media, which people forget too often.
Despite its horribly unserious advertising, “A Minecraft Movie” had a deeper message and good intentions. It just took a lot of cringing to get there.
Please stop letting Black sing. Every time I could tell he was about to sing, I braced for impact. It’s not because his voice didn’t sound good, but rather because it was painfully awkward, just like almost everything else in the film. I don’t even want to talk about the Jennifer Coolidge shaped elephant in the room.
I have never been Black’s biggest fan in general. His acting is too over-the-top for my taste, as is Momoa’s; however, I sincerely believe that the performances of the remaining actors perfected the mood of the film. Brooks gave a hilarious performance. She is effortlessly funny and lovable, and she hands down made me laugh more than any other actor did in this film. Additionally, Myers and Hansen portrayed a sibling relationship in a realistic way with enjoyable, more believable acting compared to Black and Momoa.
Aside from the movie’s lack of alignment with my humor, though, appreciation for Minecraft is something I can always get behind. Growing up obsessed with Minecraft and still to this day indulging in the occasional two week phase, I giggled at the stereotypical jokes about the game, such as Steve unreasonably going to the ends of the earth for his dog, Dennis. I was also ecstatic that Hess honored and included popular Minecraft creators who paved the way for the game’s success, even if they were only on screen for a few seconds. I could tell through the movie’s depiction of Minecraft that it was made by people who enjoy the game.
Despite being released 15 years ago, Minecraft continues to inspire creativity in both old and new generations. Empowering anyone to be creative and motivating them to believe that they have the power to create is always a good message. Did anyone need a mediocre movie about it? To be honest, no. The game suffices. Was “A Minecraft Movie” still a beautiful message and a great acknowledgement of the well-loved game? Absolutely.
