The long awaited MINECRAFT big screen adaptation has finally arrived after a decade of stops and starts, with divisive creative choices and a unique approach to characteristics, many have frowned upon the film since it’s initial marketing, but frown no more as A MINECRAFT MOVIE is a wildly entertaining movie crafted with heart and love for both it’s source material and the strong community that rose from it and continue to be a defining factor of it.
And though the base game of Minecraft follows no one set story, A MINECRAFT MOVIE pulls ideas & inspiration from its other pieces of gaming media such as Legends, Dungeons & the two-season spanning telltale, Minecraft: Story Mode, to craft its stage. It follows Steve, a young child soon to be man who was always drew too, but rejected from exploring mine shafts until he comes across a radiating blue cube, known as the Orb Of Dominance, this transports him to the overworld, a vast, pixelated & endless land of opportunity and exploration. Here, he learns to unleash his imagination, mine and craft, eventually carving a life out for himself there before stumbling across a land very different from it, The Nether, the overworlds rendition of hell stripped of its creativity and engulfed in flames and lava, here resides the ghasts, piglins & their ruler, Malgosha, voiced by Rachel House who admittedly, is the movies most cartoonish aspect, from her writing, motivations and dialogue, she’s your very familiar mustache-esch twirling villain set on conquering the overworld and turning it into a place of total darkness forcing Steve to work with his new found friends to create a plan of survival as they fight the uncharted lands to save their worlds.
This imagining of the game & it’s endless choice of worlds follows four misfits pulled into the Overworld, a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination but to get back home, they’ll have to master the terrain while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected crafter named Steve. Speaking of who, is played by Jack Black in a role he crushes with a style of charisma, energy and total insanity with line deliveries that only he could bring to a character, from ‘I, AM STEVE!’, ‘THIS, IS A CRAFTING TABLE!’ & ‘CHICKEN JOCKEY!’ he’s not going to take home any Academy Awards for his portrayal unless the trophy is ‘The Jack Black’ award but he’s certainly a ridiculous amount of fun as Steve with his original song, ‘I FEEL ALIVE’ wrote by ‘I’m Just Ken’s Mark Ronson, being a sweet and delicious icing on the cake. What makes Black’s Steve even more fun to watch go to the full show is his impressive behind the scenes playing stats which apparently reached over 100 Hours of login time as he too like the millions of us around the world, was gripped by the game.
Additional central characters to the film include Jason Momoa, who similar to Jack, is a ton of fun with the duo hilariously bouncing off each other’s wit and performances in a pair up that after seeing the film, just makes sense. He plays Garret, a washed up, gaming world champion taking life a little too seriously but as the movie progresses, he begins to unwind, a lot of it thanks to the help and on screen dynamic with Sebastian Hansen‘s Henry who’s a standout of the movie & the brother of Emma Myers‘ Natalie. Sebastian is a central part of its two best sequences, of which include a Zombie attack sequence that excellently matches the feeling of playing your first night in the game & an encounter with an Enderman that brings a wicked visualization of what comes after you stare directly at them.
Rounding off the cast are Danielle Brooke’s and as mentioned, Emma Myers, who share a very loving friendship with one another as they delve into and learn to survive the overworld & it’s routine for spawning mobs when the sun sets. I would’ve liked to have seen more of the pair but nonetheless what we got was serviceable and fun enough and if a potential sequel looms like teased in the movies one & only post credit scenes, it’d be a joy to have them return for it.
Each character at first glance can be honestly perceived as one-dimensional & I’m sure some see them as that regardless, ultimately go on to bond and survive together, unlocking new aspects and understanding of themselves they didn’t previously didn’t realize before entering the overworld. Their respective journeys unravel within themselves set skills & creativity alongside a strong understanding of teamwork, & this echoes the very sentiment and driving force of Minecraft itself, to be apologetically creative, ongoing & above all, yourself. So while it may appear simple at first, it’s actually something that you may overlook.
How the behind the scenes talent, which includes director Jared Hess & Mojang‘s own direct involvement expand on the already visualized aesthetics of Minecraft is nothing short of great. It’s amazing seeing how, for example, the minerals operate, in the game, if you turn redstone, one of the primary minerals on, to power a lamp, etc. It just does so, but in the movie, there’s a real kick, especially as a fan, out of seeing it actually charge up & hit it’s subject. The actual designs that are lifted from the game are all, instantly recognizable, from the iconic look of the villagers to the menacing appearance of all things hostile mobs from the Creepers to Skeletons, Zombies etc. they look fantastic under their photo-realistic cinematic touch ups. Which is something that can be said for the visual effects & production design of the entire film, mostly. There’s very few occasions where it doesn’t look strong or where it falters & feels too out of place to stay engaged. But the good, significantly outweigh the bad, which is something that can also be passed onto the conversation of sequences in the film…
Sebastian Hansen, steals the show, partaking in two of A MINECRAFT MOVIE’s best moments. One which see’s an army of Zombies rip through a crafted tower on their first night in the overworld which emits the feeling of a new players own first & terrifying night, and the other featuring a stare down with the enderman, which is action packed, a visually stunning imagining of their power…& a potential tease to one of the game’s long feared myths…
Though all that is built is not crafted to perfection in the film and there are hurdles that some will be able to ignore but others may not jump high enough too. Though the significant majority of the runtime is spent in the pixelated Overworld, getting there takes just ever so slightly longer than you may like & could’ve been improved with a swift 5 or so minutes chopped off. As well as this, it is overly silly and utterly weird, which I didn’t mind as it’s a signature play by director Jared Hess, and as such some may find him to be a storyteller who simply isn’t for them. Though Jenifer Coolage’s very short and seasoned presence in the film is just as strange (though also as fun) as the rest of it, the question does arise as to whether it needed to be included at all. & lastly, The story may have needed slightly more time in the oven to truly excel & win over those who’ll leap at the chance to call it unimaginative & the criminally overused generic, but it’s a movie made for the fans, by the fans, with more than enough fun & intrigue involved to win over more (new) fans.
Ultimately, A MINECRAFT MOVIE is very fun. A charming, whacky and visually strong craft that echoes the call of ambitious creativity and teamwork of the game, it’s a delightful adventurous love letter for fans both old and new with plenty of Easter eggs to catch as well as an entertaining time for the whole family. And most of all, it is without shame a celebration of everything that MINECRAFT illuminates.
A Minecraft Movie releases in theaters on April 4.
