Matt O’Connor
For a long time, video game movies were seen as embarrassing and pathetic attempts to cash in on the popularity of the source material. But more recent movies like the “Sonic The Hedgehog” trilogy and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” have proved that it’s possible to make a compelling story that honors what the movie is based on while also taking some creative liberties. When it was first revealed. “A Minecraft Movie” was meant with negativity and skepticism. The CGI looked strange, the humor didn’t land, and Jack Black as Steve seemed to be a poor casting choice. Fast forward to the movie’s release, and it’s become a smash hit at the box office. So how did the final product turn out? Well, not very good. But it’s still entertaining in a number of ways. The best way you can describe A Minecraft Movie is “a beautiful mess”.
The Characters
One of the biggest issues of the movie is that the majority of the main characters aren’t very interesting and don’t have much to do, with a couple of exceptions. Even though fans didn’t vibe with his casting at first, Jack Black absolutely steals the show as Steve. He brings such a vibrant energy to a character who was almost entirely silent in the original game. Every time he says something from the games, he puts so much emphasis on his pronunciations. Funnily enough, Jack Black became addicted to Minecraft while filming because everyone in the cast were given their own Xboxes and a private Minecraft server to play on. You can really tell that Jack cares about the source material. Jason Mamoa also delivers a fun performance as Garrett, and his scenes with Steve give off a brotherly bond. But besides that, most of the other characters lack that same energy and entertainment value. Emma Myers doesn’t get to do a lot as Natalie, and the same goes for Danielle Brooks as Dawn and Sebastian Eugene Hansen as Henry. While Jack Black and Jason Momoa are certainly a blast to watch, everyone else mostly falls short of that energy.
The World And Story
The most appealing part of the movie overall is the Minecraft Overworld itself. Everything is so colorful and looks almost perfectly translated from the original game to the big screen. There were some complaints that were vocalized initially about how the CGI in the trailers looked uncanny, but fans and casual moviegoers began to slowly warm up to it. In the behind the scenes photos for the film, you can see the passion and effort that went into the set design as the world of Minecraft was expertly translated into real world filming locations. Many of the iconic areas from the game were incorporated into the movie like the Villages and the Nether, which were some of the movie’s biggest highlights in terms of its visuals. Several Minecraft content creators like DanTDM also make small cameos throughout the movie, and there’s a tribute to beloved Minecraft legend Technoblade. If there’s one thing that the movie gets right, it’s that it truly feels like a love letter to all things Minecraft.
But while the world and legacy of Minecraft is well respected, the actual main plot of the movie is extremely lackluster. You can see everything that happens in the story coming from a mile away and then some. Most of the main plot points that happen have been seen so many times in so many other movies. A central MacGuffin that both the heroes and villains are chasing after: check! A main character sacrificing themselves in the third act but shows up later seemingly unharmed: check! A pointless side story that ultimately goes nowhere: check! Speaking of that side story, the scenes with Jennifer Coolidge falling in love with a Villager from the Minecraft world drag everything to a screeching halt and feel completely unnecessary. While most of the humor is relatively unfunny, the jokes thrown around during Coolidge’s segments really fall flat.
A Minecraft Movie has a lot of great elements that make for a fun watch, but there’s also quite a few negatives that can lessen the experience for some viewers. But surprisingly, the talk of the town in regards to the Minecraft movie is not what’s being shown at theaters, it’s what’s been happening in the theaters.
Chicken Jockey!
During the lead up to the movie’s theatrical release, there was a particular scene that became very memorable. That being the famous (or infamous at this point) “Chicken Jockey” scene. Now with A Minecraft Movie playing in theaters, the once mildly entertaining scene has become the subject of an obnoxious controversy. During screenings of the movie, it’s become sort of a tradition to clap and cheer when the Chicken Jockey scene plays. However, some moviegoers have been taking things way too far and have begun causing chaos at dozens of theaters across the country. Popcorn buckets are being thrown across the room, soda cups are drenched on the floor, and some people have been escorted out of the theater by police for causing a disturbance! In one instance, someone even body slammed a poor employee. Needless to say, movie theaters are becoming fed up with this type of behavior and are cracking down on the obnoxious celebrations that are mainly coming from teenage and young adult fans. While this controversy has soured the mood for many, it hasn’t stopped the movie from being an immense success so far at the box office. But if you do plan on seeing A Minecraft Movie in theaters, you might want to be on the lookout to avoid the flying popcorn and soft drink showers.
